Shades of You and Me
by bnomiko
Summary: COMPLETE. Chronologically the first fic in my AU, Life with Kaibaby and Yamikins. Yami and Seto are set up on a blind date by Mokuba, Noa and Yugi. Can two rivals really build a successful relationship together? ShonenAi. Prideshipping [SKYY SetoYami].
1. Ch 1: Cherry Red part 1

Pairing: Seto + Yami  
Warnings: swearing  
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "Midnight Blue" is performed and recorded by Lou Gramm. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**This is a SHONEN-AI fic (male + male romantic relationship). If you are offended by homosexual relationships, please do not read this. Flames will be disregarded.**

Setup for this fic:  
- AU… takes place sometime after Noa's arc (fanfics are technically AU anyways)  
- Noa has been brought out of the virtual world, has a new body, and is living with Mokuba and Seto. The how and why isn't important.  
- Yami has his own body and is separate from Yugi. The how and why isn't important.  
- Ages of characters: Seto and Yami are 18, Noa is 13, Mokuba is 12 going on 13.  
- "Bakura" throughout this story refers to Ryou Bakura, the hikari, and "Malik" refers to Malik Ishtar, the hikari.

**

* * *

Shades of You and Me**

**Ch. 1: Cherry Red part 1**

* * *

Yami shuffled reluctantly behind Yugi as the younger teen led him to the fountain in the center of Domino Plaza. Sure, the ex-spirit had told his other half that he owed him a favor for covering his shift at the Kame Game Shop several weeks prior, but he hadn't expected anything like this. Frankly, Yami resented being set up on blind dates; the last time that had happened, he had been stuck with Anzu for an entire day. _Not that she isn't a good friend, but Yugi hadn't known at the time that I'm…_

Yugi's voice disrupted his internal dialogue. "Well, it looks like we're a bit early," he commented, eyeing the clock at the north end of the fountain. "But don't worry!"

"Aibou… are you sure this is such a good idea?" The crimson-eyed teen fidgeted with the buttons on his sleeveless black shirt. "I really don't think…"

The little duelist swatted at Yami's hands and leaned in close to whisper, "Don't worry, this time I got the gender right! And this guy is a perfect match for you. He's… strong willed, and smart, and I _know_ you'll find him attractive."

The former Pharaoh sighed. "Why won't you just tell me who he is? Or at least show me a photo or something? Are you even sure that he's gay? Last time, when you just dumped me at the coffee shop with Anzu…"

Yugi gave his other half a tolerant smile. "I already said I'm sorry. If I had known about your sexual orientation, I wouldn't have tricked you into going out with her."

"Speaking of Anzu, are you ever going to ask her…"

"Hey, Yugi! Yami!" came a familiar voice, and both spiky-haired teens turned to see Mokuba Kaiba running towards them at full speed.

"Oh… hi Mokuba," said Yugi cheerfully. "What are you doing here?"

Yami suddenly had a very bad feeling about the entire situation and he took the opportunity to try and bolt, but Yugi grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and refused to let go. "Yugi! Please!"

"No! Just relax. Your date will be along in a minute, I'm sure."

"You're going on a date, Yami?" The black-haired boy blinked cutely. "With who?"

_Not him, not him, please not him…_

"It's a blind date," Yugi answered for him as he transferred his grip to Yami's wrist. Yami frowned as Yugi winked at Mokuba.

"That's cool. Hey, Nii-sama, Onii-chan!"

Yami winced. He threw Yugi another pleading look, but the younger teen only smiled back and patted his hand in reassurance.

"What are you losers doing here?" asked Kaiba, as he approached the trio with long strides, Noa trotting along beside him. The tall brunette was way too well dressed to be out for a simple Sunday stroll, and Yami fought the urge to stare at him.

_Osiris, take me now! _With a deceptively calm voice, Yami greeted the pair. "Kaiba. Noa."

"Yami's waiting for his blind date," said Yugi, grinning slyly. Yami squirmed a little.

"Really? Would you believe that Seto's here for the same reason?" Noa practically shouted back, grinning broadly. He wasn't nearly as good of an actor as his younger brother. Kaiba quirked his brow and stared at Yami, who began backing away slowly.

The young billionaire crossed his arms. It was damn obvious now who his mystery date was, but he was willing to play along for the time being since that would give him the opportunity to bait his rival. "I'm amazed that anyone would want to date a shrimp like you. But I guess that explains why you'd need Yugi to set you up," Kaiba said haughtily.

Yami's eyes narrowed. _Two can play at this game._ "And what about you? Did you finally realize that no one would want to date a conceited, temperamental ass like yourself, no matter how much money you might have?

"Please. I'm only putting up with this nonsense because I made the mistake of promising Noa that I'd take a day off and spend it however he chose." Blue eyes fixed on the green-haired teen, and Noa practically shrank under the gaze. "That's a mistake I don't intend to make again."

"And I'm only here because… well, does it matter? I can get dates if I wanted to. Girls are always looking at me." He stepped in closer to Kaiba and tilted his chin up proudly, utilizing every inch of his height.

_Girls huh? What a lousy liar._ Kaiba unconsciously swept his gaze over his shorter rival, taking in the fitted shirt, low-slung pants with a web of straps crisscrossing the back, the sweep of spiky blonde bangs and the cant of blazing crimson eyes. He looked good… but then again, he had always looked good, even in the bizarre, kinky clothing he and Yugi favored. And he smelled nice too… the faintly spicy and woodsy with a trace of cinnamon, honey and chocolate. Kaiba's nostrils flared a bit. _Hn… I hate my hormones. _Kaiba roughly pushed aside his admiration of his rival as he put his hands on his hips and leaned down. "They're looking at you because you're shorter than they are. And I practically have to fight off all the _girls_ who want to date..."

A sudden snapping noise and the feel of cold metal caught the attention of the two older teens. Yugi suddenly let go of Yami's hand and Yami brought his wrist up just as Kaiba did the same. And then that's when they realized… Mokuba had handcuffed them together.

"Mo… Mokuba!! What the fuck is this?!" Kaiba yelled, his face turning red as he yanked at the chain in frustration. His sudden tugging only succeeded in pulling Yami off balance and the former Pharaoh stumbled forward and fell against the brunette's chest. Scowling outwardly, Yami secretly thanked every god in Egypt for giving him the opportunity to press himself against Kaiba's body. The brunette was an ass, plain and simple, but there really was no denying that his body was hot. Too bad it wasn't hot enough to thaw out his personality a bit.

Mokuba wisely ran and hid behind Yugi, then made a show of putting the keys to the cuffs in his shirt pocket. "Seto, Yami. Yami, Seto. Congratulations, you're on a date now!"

"What?!" Kaiba looked down at the crimson-eyed teen who was now glaring at his other half. "I'm not…"

_Aibou…_ Yami growled through their mind link.

_Uh… there's no one here at the moment? Please leave a message?_

_You planned this?! How could you? I can't go out with HIM._

_Well, actually all three of us planned it. We figured you guys would be a perfect match as long as you gave it a chance. Hence the handcuffs. And I don't see why can't you go out with Kaiba. You're always lusting after him, thinking about how hot he is and how you want to do… all sorts of obscene things to him. It's gotten to the point where it's leaking all over our link… I SO don't want to be thinking about Kaiba's ass every time I see him!_

_Yugi… I was just looking! It's… it's a hormone thing! I'm not used to having to deal with those yet! You can't be serious; there's no way this will work! And if it doesn't…_

_It's more than hormones and you know it. Back when we still shared a body, you'd just pop in and take over whenever he was around. Admit it… looking wasn't enough. You liked bantering with him, dueling against him, dueling with him, standing uncomfortably close to him… _

While Yami and Yugi argued back and forth telepathically, Kaiba tried to convince Mokuba to unlock the cuffs.

"Look, I don't want to be here. He doesn't want to be here."

"Nii-sama… it's just one date. It won't kill you."

Kaiba groaned and rubbed his forehead in frustration. "And why the hell would I want to go out with Yami for anyways? Even once?"

"Well… for one thing, you're obsessed with him. And you guys have a lot in common," Mokuba answered brightly.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "I'm 'obsessed' with beating him, not… not… _grrr_... And name one thing other than Duel Monsters that we would have in common."

"You're gay, and he's gay?"

"Kaiba, are you really?" asked Yami, suddenly taking an interest in the conversation. It had never occurred to him that his rival might prefer men as well.

"What the fuck is it to you, you stupid freak?"

Yami's brows slammed together. "Why do you always have to be such a jerk?" He gave the cuffs a good tug. "I can't do this. I swear on the Eye of Horus, if you don't unlock these cuffs right now, Mokuba, I'll…"

_Yami! Control yourself!_

"Don't threaten my brother, you little shit!" Kaiba yelled, and even Noa edged in front of his younger brother.

Safely ensconced behind Noa and Yugi, Mokuba crossed his arms and gave Yami a good approximation of his big brother's "Don't Fuck with Me" glare. "You'll do what?"

… _must… Mind Crush…_

_Yami, you are NOT going to Mind Crush him, _Yugi ordered firmly.

"I'll… I'll…" He sighed in defeat. "I'll chew my own arm off?"

Noa groaned, then waggled his finger. "No losing limbs, either one of you. And to make sure the two of you don't make a run for the nearest hardware store, we're going to chaperone your date. And one final thing…" He stepped forward, quickly reached into his brother's coat pocket, and boldly relieved Kaiba of his Duel Monsters deck and cellphone.

"Noa… what the hell do you think you're doing?" Kaiba's fist clenched in anger and Noa instantly ducked in behind Mokuba.

"No dueling. And no phone calls. Yugi, you have Yami's deck right?"

"Yep. And I have the movie tickets too."

"Perfect!" chirped Mokuba, switching moods instantly. He picked up his cellphone and placed a call to Fubeta, who was waiting in the limo around the corner, asking him to pick them up right away.

* * *

It was a simple date. Yugi, Mokuba and Noa only planned on a movie and dinner. But the younger youths were smart enough to know that Kaiba and Yami would try to make a break for freedom. So once the limo dropped them off at the Domino Multiplex 12, Mokuba forced the somewhat reluctant duo to sit one row down from the back corner of the theater, then reserved a block of seats directly behind them while Yugi and Noa went to check out the concessions stand.

Well, Yami had to admit that his date could have been worse. He could have been matched up with someone like… Insector Haga. At least Kaiba was nice to look at. Yami had always admired that tall, lean figure and those intense blue eyes from afar during their duels. And he certainly didn't have any complaints about the fact that Kaiba was absolutely dressed to kill in a cinnamon brown suit with an iridescent blue-black finish and a matching tie in a brown and yellow check. And beyond his fabulous physical qualities, he was intelligent and cunning, brave and loyal, and had the quirkiest sense of humor. And he was also conceited, belligerent, and a general pain in the ass whenever it suited him. The crimson-eyed teen wasn't sure if the pros outweighed the cons. But since they were being forced into a date, he figured he might as well enjoy it while he could… or they could make an escape attempt. Or perhaps a little from A and a little from B.

With a sly smile, Yami leaned over a little and whispered, "Kaiba."

"What?" he snapped, but the familiar sound of Yami's voice was almost comforting in a way

Yami could only hope that Mokuba wasn't eavesdropping. "You know how to pick a lock?" The shorter teen fished a Swiss army knife out of his pocket and flashed it at the brunette.

"Hn. After the movie starts."

Yami inclined his head slightly in agreement, then palmed the knife in his right hand and reached out for Kaiba's left hand. The young billionaire quickly slid his hand under Yami's, allowing the knife to drop into his palm as their fingers brushed together.

The shorter duelist smirked and left his hand where it was. _Let's see what his next move will be._

Kaiba stared stupidly at the hand that was still dangling over the armrest. _Of all the stupid people to be even remotely attracted to. Stupid testosterone! So I like looking at him, and smelling him, and listening to his voice, and having him smash himself against my chest. Doesn't mean I want to date him. The jerk's probably just trying to find something else to hold over my head, and I don't need that crap, especially from the King of Games!_

"We didn't miss anything, did we?" came Noa's voice. He and Yugi came back down the stairs with some drinks and a bag of chocolate covered peanuts. Yami's hand jerked reflexively, but Kaiba grabbed it before he was able to pull it back. The two older teens glanced at each other in surprise.

Behind them, Mokuba grinned, just as the lights began to dim. "Nope… you guys came just in time for the show!"

* * *

Perhaps the first escape attempt would have been successful if Yami hadn't nodded off during the middle of the movie. Kaiba had managed to pick the lock after several attempts, but by the time he finally freed himself from the manacles the crimson-eyed teen had fallen asleep, leaning over slightly against the brunette's shoulder. So as Kaiba tried to slide out from his seat, Yami tilted and fell over him, pinning him in place as Yugi squawked and began giving the two of them a severe tongue-lashing while the other moviegoers shushed him.

Not surprisingly, Yugi commandeered the Swiss army knife as Mokuba reattached the cuff to his brother's wrist.

The second escape attempt came just as the movie ended. As the afternoon crowd streamed out of the theater, Kaiba turned to Yami and simply said, "Run."

The crimson-eyed duelist smirked and instantly moved to comply, and the two of them wove through the crowd in unison and made it through the door with ease. Well, almost. Yami went through one door, Kaiba through the other, and neither one gave any thought to the fact that their wrists were still connected and that the doors were separated by a divider.

Departing moviegoers gawked at the two teens sitting on the ground, moaning. But a glare and growl from Kaiba sent most of them on their way.

_I knew I should have chewed off my arm earlier, _Yami thought while he rubbed his throbbing right forearm after having it slammed into the metal support divider.

Yugi made a tsking sound and crouched down to look his other half in the eye. "It's kinda funny how well you two work together when you're trying to escape from each other, don't you think?"

"More like how well we don't work together," snarled Kaiba, hand over his left shoulder. "If the dumbass here hadn't fallen asleep, I would've gotten away on the first try. Then he has to go through the wrong door. What the hell, Yami, didn't they have doors in ancient Egypt?"

"They certainly didn't have doors with… with… some stupid piece of metal in the center of it!"

"You two… are really something," said Noa, trying in vain to hide his amusement. Who would've thought tagging along on a date could be so much fun?

Mokuba grinned, then did his best to put on a straight face while turning back to his oldest brother. "Okay, here's the deal. We already have dinner reservations and we ARE going to finish this date. If I take off the handcuffs, will you two _promise_ to stop these insane escape attempts? It's not like we don't know where you both live."

Kaiba rolled his eyes at that. "Anything to get these ridiculous handcuffs off."

"Just dinner huh?" asked Yami. Noa and Yugi both nodded. Other than the bruising of his arm, the crimson-eyed teen had really been enjoying the little teasing game with his rival.

Kaiba smirked. "That eager to get rid of me, _Pharaoh_? Do I frighten you that badly?"

"Hardly. Why would I be afraid of someone who can't even beat me in a duel?" Yami automatically responded, also smirking.

Yugi sighed loudly. "Will you both quit that and just promise us so we can take the cuffs off already?"

Yami and Kaiba both turned their attention to Yugi. Without missing a beat, Yami said, "You do realize how ridiculous this is, Kaiba. We're been outmaneuvered by my aibou and your two little brothers. But all right. You have my word, Yugi."

Kaiba scowled. "Hmph. I refuse to be manipulated like this. I'm going to get you back for this, shrimp. And the two of you are grounded as soon as this is over."_ Because there's no way this could possibly work out and I'm wasting my time here._

"What?! No way, Nii-sama!" Mokuba looked like he was about to pitch a fit right in front of the theater.

Noa put a reassuring hand on Mokuba's shoulder. "Otouto… if Seto agrees to finish the date as planned, I won't argue if he really wants to ground us. So… do you agree or not, Nii-sama?"

"You're a brat, you know that? But fine, whatever…" He held his wrist out.

"Good." Noa nodded at Mokuba, who dug out the keys and finally released the cuffs.

* * *

The restaurant that was chosen for dinner turned out to be Orange Hill, which billed itself as the most romantic restaurant in Domino. Located on top of a hill overlooking the city, it offered spectacular views all the way to the ocean. It was a nice night, so Noa had reserved two tables out on the patio in the very farthest corner.

"You know, we did promise to stay through dinner," Yami commented idly as the younger trio sat themselves at the next table, effectively blocking off any potential escape attempts in that direction.

"We're just making sure that neither one of you is tempted by the thought of throwing yourselves off the patio afterwards," Yugi answered cheerfully as he began flipping through the menu.

"Aibou, we're on top of a hill… it's a 100 foot drop from here."

"Not taking any chances!" Yugi sang back.

"Hn. I'm tempted to throw myself over the edge right now just to shut you up, Yugi," Kaiba said with a smirk.

"Good thing we aren't handcuffed together any more then," Yami responded, smirking in turn.

"Seto, you realize you're setting a terrible example for me and Onii-chan," said Mokuba with a dramatic sigh. "I don't think I'll ever be able to go out on a date without trying to find escape routes first."

Kaiba just eyed his little brother, then got up, picked up the patio table the trio was sitting at, and moved it as far away from his table as possible. "Now, do I have to physically move all of you or can you move yourselves?" Yami couldn't help but laugh as he heard the squeaking of three chairs being dragged away.

Satisfied, Kaiba returned to his table and sat back down. "Easily amused, _Pharaoh_?'

"Oh stop it, Kaiba. We're here… might as well make the best of it." He peeked out from behind his menu and threw the young CEO a quick wink. "And at least we're out of the cuffs, like I said."

"Hn. Admit it, you liked it you kinky bastard. What's with those pants anyways?" _I wonder what you'd look like tied up in those straps… uh, I did NOT just think that._ Even more alarming was the fact that his dick had jumped at the very thought.

Yami looked down. "These pants? They're called er… bondage pants."

"Ha! You're such a freak, Yami."

Yami smiled broadly. It was one of those moments… either he and Kaiba could continue to pointlessly pick at each other all evening, or he could just up the stakes in this little game… though Yami was now more interested in the prize than the fight. "Yes, I suppose I am. Tell me, Kaiba, do you like it freaky?" he teased.

The taller teen blinked. "Huh?"

The ex-spirit's grin grew. "You know, I never did get the chance to ask you earlier. You have nice, large hands. Is it true what they say about the size of a man's hands?"

Kaiba actually flushed at that. "Wha… what?!" _Is he toying with me? _

"Oh… I thought that would have been one of those things you'd have memorized, you know. Of course I can't say which is more attractive, your intellect or your hot ass."

"My… hot… ass." _So he wants to play games, does he? _"At least I'm not wearing pants that scream 'tie me up and fuck me.'"

"You seem obsessed with my pants. Is it the front view or the rear view that's doing it for you?"

"Your… hmph. Nice try. I'm not falling for that." However, he couldn't stop his mind from recalling images of Yami walking around in his usual leather pants, every step highlighting lean muscle and firm buttocks.

"Speaking of falling, there's a little secret I should tell you." Yami leaned closer to Kaiba and beckoned to him, setting his menu upright on the table like a screen.

The young billionaire scowled but dipped his head down behind the menu. "What?"

"During the movie…"

"Uh huh…"

"I wasn't actually asleep." The crimson-eyed teen sat back and gave Kaiba his biggest, smuggest grin. _I just needed an excuse to throw myself all over your delicious body. Because once wasn't enough._

"You weren't… you did that on purpose?!" Kaiba yelled, jumping to his feet and towering over the shorter teen. Mokuba, Noa and Yugi all whipped their heads around in alarm and glared at the brunette, who frowned and got right in Yami's face. "What the fuck, Yami?" he hissed, not wanting to give his little brothers the opportunity to eavesdrop on the conversation. _The dirty rat! I knew he was trying to play me for a fool!_

The ex-spirit put his hands behind his head. "You look good. I couldn't help myself, and the opportunity was there. You make a nice pillow, by the way."

The taller duelist just stared at Yami as if he had sprouted extra limbs. _Is he kidding? He has to be. Damn that son of a bitch! _"Can it, Yami. No one wants to listen to your crap, especially not me. What are you really after?"

Yami mentally sighed. He enjoyed pushing Kaiba's buttons so much that sometimes he forgot to stop himself. _I guess I should stop playing games with him… we're not going anywhere like this. But do I really want this? Would he really allow himself to be receptive? _Crimson eyes narrowed momentarily, then Yami steepled his fingers under his chin and said in a low voice, "It wasn't a joke, Kaiba. You look really nice tonight… actually, you always look great. I guess I can't blame Aibou too much for trying to set us up. This lust thing has been driving him crazy."

Kaiba sank back into his seat, but unconsciously scooted it a bit closer to Yami. "What lust thing?"

"Oh, it's just… wait a sec." The waitress approached, asking for their orders. "I'll have the grilled swordfish, please."

"Chicken Marsala." Kaiba waited for the woman to walk away, then turned his attention back to his rival. "What lust thing?"

"Yugi claims that since I find you attractive, it's leaking into our mind link and affecting him as well."

"Mind link," Kaiba snorted dismissively. "You and your stupid… wait, did you say you find me attractive?"

"I told you, you look good."

_You're such a liar… I really hate this. _"So you're really gay? This isn't a joke?"_ Of course it's a joke. This is all a game to you, isn't it?_

Sometimes Yami thought he would have better luck talking to a wall. And walls were more receptive, though far less alluring. "Yes, I am. And you?"

"Hn."

The ex-spirit rolled his eyes. "At least make an effort here, Kaiba."

"Does it matter if I am? And... well, you look… okay, I guess." _What the fuck am I saying?! As if he cares. _"That doesn't change the fact that you're still a weird, freaky little guy."

"Gee, thanks. You really know how to boost a guy's self-esteem."

Kaiba made a waving motion with his hand. "As if you needed an ego boost."

Yami let loose a sigh and pouted a bit. "I guess I was mistaken. I figured since we were already on a date, maybe if I opened up to you a little, you'd have the grace to do the same." He began to fidget with the buttons on his shirt again.

The young billionaire frowned. Yami certainly sounded sincere, but Kaiba knew that his rival was just trying to get another advantage over him so that he could rub it in his face during a duel. But a tiny part of him almost hoped that Yami was telling the truth. _He's never lied to me before. But he's my rival… of course he's going to take advantage of the situation. I almost wish… _He quickly squashed that possibility. "Uh, look, Yami… you do look good, all right? And you smell nice too. Sorta like spices and shi… er, stuff."

Crimson eyes sought out blue ones. "Not the best way to put it, but coming from you, it's a nice compliment. Thank you."

* * *

The black-haired boy turned back to his co-conspirators. "Finally, it looks like they're actually talking to each other. Like talking talking, not screaming challenges or exchanging insults. Yugi, are you _sure_ you can't eavesdrop, just a tiny bit?"

"Mokuba... I feel bad enough as it is, keeping them here like prisoners."

Noa chuckled at that. "I don't know why they're fighting it so hard. You've already confirmed that Yami was um, 'lusting' after Seto, and Mokuba, we both know that Yami is the only person Seto has ever shown any interest in at all."

Yugi smiled and simply summed it up by saying, "Let's just say that things are never that simple when your brother's involved."

* * *

"You know, Kaiba, I like talking to you. Even when you're an ass. I like arguing with you sometimes, and trading insults, and yelling at you across a dueling arena. But a change of pace is nice too…"

_Shut the fuck up! _his brain snarled, but Kaiba couldn't help relaxing a little at the remark. Truth be told, he did enjoy bantering with Yami. "Hn. You really have a preoccupation with asses, don't you?"

"I especially love how you can take one word out of an entire sentence and center your whole reply on it." _It's annoying, but that's the way you work, isn't it? Look at the big picture, Kaiba._

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Now that's complete and utter bullshit."

The shorter teen grinned and tried again. "But we get along pretty well, don't you think? Even though we don't quite match on the surface. Only you would turn up for a casual blind date in a full suit and with two little brothers in tow."

"Well, we can't all be walk around in bondage gear with a miniature version of ourselves. But… there is something I've always wanted to know."

"Oh? And that would be?"

_What the hell do you want from me?_ But the question that he actually voiced was "How the hell you and Yugi get your hair like that? Please don't tell me it's natural." _Why am I flirting with him?_

Yami sat back and laughed. "I can't tell you. It's a secret. But I'll let you know that bleach is involved."

The CEO suddenly had an urge to touch that wild mane of tri-colored hair. _Should I or shouldn't I?_ His hands spasmodically clenched as Yami casually ran his fingers through his blonde bangs. One of Kaiba's hand shot up in response and before he even realized what he was doing, his fingers were sliding through a spike of black and crimson. _It's a lot softer than it looks._ He let his fingers drift down to catch a hold of the blonde strands as well. The younger teen shivered involuntarily. "Are you cold?"

"No. I'm fine." _I'm not cold… just don't stop stroking my hair._

"You're stupid for walking around without a jacket," Kaiba scoffed, but he almost felt badly for the younger teen. Yami apparently hadn't expected his blind date to last so long. The brunette stood up and removed his blazer, handing it to Yami without further explanation.

Yami happily accepted the jacket and draped it over his shoulders. _It smells like him. Oh, by Nefertem's lotus… he smells so good. Like a light fall of rain mixed with amber, musk and citrus…_ "What cologne are you wearing?"

"Uh… Dunhill Desire Blue."

_Desire blue?_ He glanced at Seto's eyes. _Oh yes I do. _"I'm wearing something called Fahrenheit, I think. Yugi picked it out. Do you like it?"

_Does he actually care if I like it? _"Can't be. Fahrenheit doesn't smell like honey, chocolate and cinnamon."

Yami felt himself blushing. "Er… that's my hair, actually. Yugi's shampoo and such. I'm surprised you noticed."

"Oh. Well, I uh… hmm…" _Why did I tell him I noticed that? Now he's going to think I'm going to want to smell his hair, or some crap like that. _

"It's okay, Kaiba. And thank you for the jacket." _It was nice of you… really nice._

The brunette shrugged. "Yeah, well, my brothers would get pissed if I let you freeze to death."

"Just say 'You're welcome,' Kaiba," Yami complained, but he finished it off with a genuine smile.

Kaiba smirked. "You're welcome."

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:   
- Fubeta is the other suit that you see working with Isono. He's the guy with brown hair and a goatee. I can't find a site that can verify his name for certain, but two websites say that at one point Japanese Mokuba calls him by name and it sounds like Fubeta, so that's what I'm going with.  
- Once again, Seto's outfit came from Hugo Boss' Spring/Summer 2005 collection.  
- Pointless note on fragrances. Seto's wearing Alfred Dunhill Desire Blue (which other than the name is just a lovely sea breezy scent) and Yami's wearing Christian Dior Fahrenheit (given his smoldering personality, I think it suits him). The scents in Yami's hair came from TIGI's Catwalk Oatmeal Honey shampoo (smells like cinnamon and honey) and Beyond the Zone Smooth Shot Silk Treatment (smells like bittersweet chocolate). But I greatly exaggerated the strength and staying power of the scents.  
- This chapter was getting longer than I wanted, so I decided to split it in half. The rest of this first date will be played out in Chapter 2.

**Please review and thanks for reading!**


	2. Ch 1: Cherry Red part 2

**IMPORTANT A/N:**  
I got my chapters a little messed up. The first date really should have been only one chapter and I made it two, and now it's going to mess up my plans. So for the purposes of ffnet I'm leaving Chapter 1 split up as two parts (part 1 and part 2) and so this is now the second half of Chapter 1 – sorry for the confusion.

Title: Shades of You and Me – Ch. 1 cont: Cherry Red  
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "Midnight Blue" is performed and recorded by Lou Gramm. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.  
Summary: Chronologically, the first fic in my "Life with Kai-baby and Yami-kins" AU. A continuation of Yami and Seto's first date.  
Status: 1.5 / 4

Responses to questions posed by reviewers thus far:  
- Re: Significance of scents / Author's notes - Author's notes are exactly that, just notes that explain what I was thinking at the time. They aren't required reading / knowledge. I put them at the end of the chapters to avoid spoiling the story early, and don't mention them within the story because it would get distracting (that's just my writing preference). So the fragrance explaination was just for those readers who might be interested in why I assigned the scents I did to Seto and Yami and has absolutely nothing to do with Seto or Yami's thoughts.  
- Re: Reviews - Wow, I'm surprised so many people liked this fic. Frankly I thought it sucked LOL. But I'm glad y'all like it and thanks for the reviews.

* * *

**Shades of You and Me**

**Ch. 1: Cherry Red part 2**

* * *

The rest of dinner passed in a similar fashion, and the next two hours were over and done in a blink of an eye.

By the time Kaiba picked up the tab and Mokuba called for the limo, Yami was rethinking his perspective on his dueling rival. He had always admired Kaiba's quick mind and even quicker wit, his willpower and pride, and of course, his handsome appearance. There was even something comforting about being in his presence. But beyond all of his bravado, Kaiba really seemed uncertain of himself, certainly nothing like the mindlessly angry lost soul he had first dueled two years prior, or the blustering rival he had faced after that. And that uncertainty tugged at Yami. It was easy and comfortable enough to trade repartees, but that wasn't what he wanted, was it? _I wish I knew how to make him more comfortable around me, the way I feel when I'm with him. He only seems to enjoy himself when I'm baiting him, because I guess that's what he's come to expect from me._

As they stood side by side waiting for Fubeta to arrive, Kaiba also thought back on what he learned about Yami during the day. The ex-spirit was as fiery and competitive as ever and had a sense of humor just as wicked as his own. And when was the last time he had conversed with anyone worth talking to, besides Noa and Mokuba? Yami had always held his interest in that regard. And there really was no point in denying the physical attraction either. _But he's only here because he was forced into it. Who knows why he agreed to do this? I bet all of Yugi-tachi are going to have a good laugh at my expense tomorrow._

Behind the pair, Mokuba, Noa and Yugi all stood together whispering quietly. Yami and Kaiba had finished dinner without making any escape attempts and were now standing together without any further prompting from them; they certainly didn't want to do anything to upset the situation. Yami even had Kaiba's jacket on still! But in the interests of keeping the date going a little longer, all three of them had to think of a new plan.

Once the limo arrived, all five piled in for the ride back to the game shop. Kaiba and Yami seemed comfortable enough in the silence that had descended over the group, but it was driving Mokuba and Yugi crazier and crazier as the miles passed.

_I can't take it anymore!_ "So, uh… did you guys have a good time?" Mokuba asked hesitantly.

"It certainly wasn't the worst dinner I've ever had," Kaiba answered smoothly.

"But did you have a GOOD time?"

Yami smiled. Mokuba was so eager to get a response. "It was unexpected, but this turned out to be a very nice date. Except the thing with my arm. And although I don't condone the three of you acting behind our backs, I do appreciate the concern."

"Well someone had to break the stalemate," said Yugi, toying with the Sennen Puzzle hanging from his neck. _And so now what? _

_Now what what? _

_What are you going to do with the rest of the evening?_

_Aibou, I thought we were going back home?_

_I'm going home. You don't really want to go home too, do you? The man of your dreams is sitting right next to you…_

_Yugi, he's hardly…_

_At least think about it, okay? Don't make me get the handcuffs from Mokuba. _"So, Kaiba… if Yami wanted to um… hang around a bit longer, you'd be able to drop him off later, right?"

"Hn. Don't assume too much, Yugi. I only agreed to stay through the duration of dinner." _What is this, another part of your bet? See how far Yami can get with me?_

Yami's protective instincts kicked in and he glanced over at his date. "The asshole routine is getting a bit old, Kaiba. If you would like me to hang around a little bit longer, my answer would be yes. But I'm leaving that up to you."

"Spare me, Yami. You just want to get into my pants to…"

"Uh… Nii-sama, we're still here!" exclaimed Noa, blushing a little.

"I'm not trying to get into your pants. I am trying to get into your head. This isn't just physical anymore, I already…"

Then the intercom beeped. "Mr. Kaiba, we've arrived at the Kame Game Shop."

_Moment of truth, Yami. Are you staying or going?_

Yami mentally sighed. _It's not my decision. I already stated my position. If Kaiba isn't interested, then that's that._

With a sigh of his own, Yugi turned to Kaiba and gave him his most earnest look. _Ask him to stay with you a little longer!_ he willed his eyes to convey. It was at times like this that he wished he were a more imposing figure.

Fubeta stepped around and opened the door. No one moved. Mokuba looked from Yugi to Yami to his big brother. _Seto, please… I know you don't want him to go. _"Well, uh… even if Seto won't say it, I know he had a good time today. He just doesn't get to do this a lot, you know, with his schedule and all. And um…"

Yami smiled again. It was nice seeing what everyone was trying to do for them, but he had no intention of browbeating Kaiba into accepting anything. He began shrugging off the borrowed jacket. "I had a good time too. Thank you, Kaiba." He held the blazer out to his date, who took it wordlessly, then stared at it as if it held the secret to some great mystery. Perhaps it did.

"Seto…" Noa began to say.

Kaiba suddenly cleared his throat and addressed Yami without even looking at him. "If I ask you to… come over, for coffee…"

"My answer would be yes." The brunette stared at him with disbelief. "Just let me go grab a jacket and I'll be right back."

Kaiba shook his head. "You don't need it," he said, and thrust the blazer back into Yami's hands. Yami clutched at the fabric and grinned.

Yugi simply beamed at the little scene. "Well, good night then. I'll see you later you guys…" _And Yami, don't feel like you have to come home tonight or anything on my account._

_Aibou!_

* * *

Once they returned to the mansion, Kaiba took Yami into the parlor and went to make some coffee. Noa and Mokuba were a bit reluctant to leave the two older teens to their own devices, but of course they knew nothing would be accomplished unless their brother took this next step on his own. That didn't stop them from giving some parting words of advice to Yami however.

"You already have his attention and his interest, Yami, so don't give up! I know Seto's difficult to deal with. He won't admit to it, but you're really making him think things over," said Noa in a hushed voice.

Mokuba added, "Remember, Nii-sama really isn't a bad person underneath all the crap he feeds you. He's just really confused right now, and maybe that's a good thing. He's so used to thinking of you as a rival that he doesn't realize that you're not trying to play him. But be careful. I do like you, Yami, but if you hurt Seto at all I'll never ever forgive you. This is NOT a game." He reiterated his point by shaking his finger right in Yami's face.

"I know. I'm doing my best. Kaiba is… infuriating at times. But I've always admired him and yes, in that way as well. And now that I know that he's at least open to the possibility… well, I think I'm willing to take my chances."

Then Kaiba walked in with two cups of coffee and a scowl. "Are you two still here? I told you both to go to bed."

"We were just saying good night to Yami, right Onii-chan? Good night!" The two younger brothers gave Yami a reassuring smile, and left the room.

"Hmm. Now that I think about it, we're rather fortunate, aren't we?" asked Yami, taking the proffered cup of coffee. "I have my aibou and you have your brothers, and they're all looking out for us. And thank you for inviting me in for coffee, Kaiba. I've only been here once in my own body, I think."

Kaiba ignored the first half of Yami's statement. "Will you stop thanking me already?" he snarled, folding himself into an armchair next to the sofa Yami was sitting on. "I only asked you to come here because I want to know the truth. What do you want from me, King of Games?"

Yami took a sip of his beverage and mulled his reply. "There's a time for games and a time for truth. You're comfortable around me when you think it's a game. And I do so enjoy matching wits with you. I admit I was playing with you a bit earlier on… I didn't think we would really get anywhere with this date, so I figured we could at least amuse ourselves to pass the time. And I know you didn't mind… you were enjoying yourself too. But I've been telling you the truth for most of the evening, and that's what's upsetting you. You want to believe me, but you can't. The truth is… I don't want anything from you, Kaiba, at least, nothing that you don't want to give me of your own will."

The brunette ground his teeth. So many questions flooded his head. He finally went with asking, "Why didn't you make a move sooner then?"

"Hmm. Being that I was unaware of your… preferences, I didn't think you would be receptive, and I didn't want to drive you away. I value our friendship, even if you don't consider me a friend."

"Hn. If I wanted to have friends…" Now it was the young CEO's turn to consider where he wanted to take things. The proverbial ball was in his court. He could simply send Yami home, or…

"If you wanted to have friends then…?" Yami prompted.

"I suppose… I could do worse than you."

Yami grinned and scooted over on the sofa. "Come here," he said, patting the seat closest to the armchair.

"Why?"

"Because technically we're still on a date I think, and I'd like you to sit next to me."

"You're not going to pull that 'fall asleep on my shoulder' shit again, are you?"

"No. And I'm sorry that upset you. I just wanted an excuse to touch you again… it was pretty lame, wasn't it?" But the taller duelist got up anyways and grudgingly moved over to the sofa. "I'm not trying to tame you, or break you, or whatever it is that you may fear. We will always be rivals. But that doesn't mean we can't be friends as well."

"But you're not just asking for my friendship, are you?" Kaiba practically sniffed at the word "friendship."

"Honestly? I'm not sure yet. What about you?"

_Aw shit. He doesn't really want to know, does he?_ Kaiba wasn't sure how he felt, but he sure as hell wasn't going to admit it. _I can just tell him I don't care and kick him out, or I could just refuse to answer, or I could change the topic… _"So, uh… see any good movies lately?" he asked lamely. _Why did I say that? Could I be any more obvious? Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

Yami turned his head and looked Kaiba straight in the eye. "If you aren't sure, there's nothing wrong with just saying it. It's not a weakness, Kaiba."

"Hn."

The younger duelist smirked. "Well, Yugi rented 'Interview with the Vampire' last night. That was interesting. Though I think I paid less attention to the storyline than to the fact that the male leads were all very attractive."

"Wait… huh?" _He's letting me switch subjects?_

"'Interview with the Vampire.' Have you seen it?"

"No… I don't have time to watch movies. I only… well, if Mokuba asks..."

"If you like vampires you'd like this one. Would you like me to tell you about it?"

_He's got to be kidding. _"All right, I guess."

* * *

_Long sunkissed limbs tangled with his as a delicate hand swept through his hair. They were both sluggish and breathless after a long bout of lovemaking, their naked bodies hot and fevered even in the shade beneath the palm trees which shielded them from the blazing desert sun. Smiling, Yami pushed himself up on his arms and looked down at tall, lithe figure beneath him. Eyes as blue as the Nile and as clear as the sky gazed back, framed by fine hair the color of exotic, earthy spices. His lips were moving slowly, the deep voice but a harsh whisper now. But Yami frowned as a sudden gust of wind drowned out his lover's words. _

_"What? I cannot hear you," he said loudly as the winds slowly died backdown._

_The brunette smiled and began to speak again, but once again, his words were muffled as the wind picked up again._

_"I'm sorry... please, you must speak up!"_

_The brunette shook his head, then gently pressed a finger to Yami's lips while curling his other hand into spikes of hair. Then his lips parted and he pulled Yami down for a deep kiss, a kiss so amazing that it stole their breaths away…_

* * *

Yami awoke with a start and found himself sitting on an unfamiliar sofa in a room he didn't recognize. He frowned as the already faint whispers of his dream faded away, leaving him more than a little disoriented. But even more confusing was the fact that right beside him, Seto Kaiba was asleep and sprawled over the sofa cushions, his head lolled back and his breathing deep and even.

_This is Kaiba's house… did we fall asleep? _His mind was still a bit sluggish and his memories jumbled. From what he could remember, they had been on a date… movies and dinner, with Yugi, Mokuba and Noa in tow. Then Kaiba had invited him back to the mansion. They had started talking about movies and then special effects, then switched to music videos and music tastes in general, shortly followed by video and computer games, cars and motorcycles, and then a strange discussion had begun about the dichotomy of terms like "jumbo shrimp" and "glow-in-the-dark sunglasses." _The last thing I remember was scolding Kaiba for calling Yugi a shrimp again…_

Yami shook his head and eased off the sofa, looking around for a clock. _It's almost 4:00 AM! Yugi must be worried about me. _But at the same time he really wasn't sure if he wanted to leave, either. He turned back to look at Kaiba sleeping on the sofa and suddenly images from his dream sharpened and forced themselves into the forefront of his mind.

_Long limbs and a delicate hand in his hair… Eyes as blue as the Nile..._

The ex-spirit staggered as the memory hit him. He had only a few vague recollections of his ancient past as a Pharaoh, bits and pieces really, but never before had he recalled anything like this. _Was this part of my past from 3,000 years ago? And Kaiba's Egyptian incarnation... my priest, was also my lover? Is this... fate at work? Oh Hathor… I loved him,_ he realized, and suddenly his heart lurched. _And I know Kaiba's not the same… but still, I…_

Yami wasn't sure what Kaiba would have thought if he had woken first and found out that the two of them had fallen asleep on the sofa. Yami wasn't even sure of his own feelings now. Part if him wanted to stay, wanted to rouse Kaiba from his sleep just to talk… and the other part of him couldn't run away fast enough.

With a sigh, the crimson-eyed teen made a decision to leave. He really needed time to reevaluate his perspective on Kaiba. What exactly did he want from him; what was it he was expecting? He knew that his far more analytical rival would probably need to do some thinking of his own as well. However, Yami also needed to make sure to leave an opening for Kaiba to exploit, and that at least was something he had already figured out.

Quietly, Yami crept out of the room and began looking for a pen and a pad of paper. It wouldn't do for him to leave without saying anything, even if his explanation was a half truth at best. He found a notepad in the kitchen and scribbled a quick note, then headed back to the parlor and left the note on the coffee table. Then he snuck out the front door, but not before stopping in the foyer to grab Kaiba's brown blazer.

* * *

Kaiba frowned in his sleep as he felt someone staring at him and awoke to find Mokuba and Noa both peering at him as if he were on display at a zoo.

"Hiiii!" said Mokuba as soon as his brother's eyes opened.

Noa rolled his eyes. Mokuba was downright scary in the morning. "By the way, Yami left you a note," he commented, holding out a sheet of paper.

"Yami? Huh?" _Wait a minute... why am I on the sofa? I didn't fall asleep here, did I?_ Kaiba pushed his bangs out of his eyes and stretched his stiff back a little before taking the note. Squinting for a moment at Yami's chicken scratch, he finally managed to make out the following:

_Kaiba,_

_I'm sorry I had to leave without telling you good night. You were already asleep and I didn't want to wake you, but I needed to get home before Yugi and Jii-chan started worrying about me. Anyways, I had a great time yesterday and I hope you did as well. Maybe we could try it again sometime (but without chaperones)._

_By the way, I'm taking your suit jacket with me. It's cold out. If you want it back, just come and get it. _

_- Yami_

He silently folded the note in half and then looked up at his brothers. Mokuba was still grinning at him, and Noa looked like he was trying to hide behind Mokuba's mop of hair. "By the way, you can both stop looking at me like that. You're both grounded."

* * *

Yugi was busy shoveling a piece of toast into his mouth when a bleary-eyed Yami stumbled down the stairs, Kaiba's jacket draped over his shoulders. The violet-eyed teen practically spit out an entire mouthful of half-chewed bread at the sight of his other half. "Wha rr yew doin hom? Wherth Kaibr?" he managed to mumble.

Yami blinked one eye at him. "Uh… what?"

_I said, "What are you doing home? Where's Kaiba?"_

_Why wouldn't I be home? And I imagine Kaiba's probably at KaibaCorp by now._

Yugi just stared at him. _You were supposed to spend the night!_

_I was? Since when?_

_You were supposed to get him to invite you into his bedroom and make sweet, passionate love all night long. _Yugi threw as much exasperation into the thought as possible.

_I… I was what! Aibou! I couldn't… you can't expect… you've been watching too much television and it's rotting your mind!_

Yugi continued on as if Yami hadn't interrupted. _Well, I suppose I should have gotten you a pack of condoms and some lube. I just figured Kaiba would have some, cause I didn't figure he'd be a virgin. But you think maybe he is? Cause he didn't throw you down and…_

_Yugi! _Yami's face was beet red by now. _By Bastet's sacred cats, of course there was no throwing down or… anything like that! We didn't even kiss. We just talked, a lot, and it was nice. I guess I fell asleep on the sofa and so did Kaiba, and after I woke up I snuck out and got one of his security guards to drive me home. And that was it._

_You didn't kiss? And you snuck out without telling him? Oh Yami, where did I go wrong? Now he'll never call you for a second date, _Yugi's mental voice wailed.

Yami privately wondered why Yugi was so adamant that he get "thrown down" by Kaiba when he was too shy to even ask Anzu out on a casual date. _Aibou, I'm beginning to think you're trying to get rid of me,_ he said dryly, and his other half just winked. _I thought you'd worry about me if I didn't come home. And I did leave him a note; besides… well, there's something else._

The violet-eyed teen detected the note of worry in Yami's mental voice. _Something else? Did something bad happen?_

_No, nothing bad… it's just… I had a dream about ancient Egypt. You know that Kaiba is the reincarnation of one of my priests, even if he denies it, but… tonight, I dreamt that my priest was my lover as well as my rival. And although I can't remember any significant details, I do remember that I loved him._

_You think it was real? A recollection of your past and not just a dream?_

_I don't dream about Egypt. I never have. This was the only time it's ever happened. And every part of my heart and soul tells me that it was real._

_Ohhh Yamiii… what are you going to do?_

_Honestly, I need to think about it. If I chose to pursue something with Kaiba, I want to do it for the right reasons and not just because he's the reincarnation of someone I once loved. And I need him to figure out what he wants as well. I refuse to push him into anything that he's not ready for._

_Oh... so now what?_ Yugi sounded sad.

A smirk broke across the ex-spirit's face. _Don't get discouraged, Aibou. I didn't say I wasn't willing to encourage him. Maybe he'll call. But don't be surprised if he just shows up. After all, I did take his jacket. _

_That's right! I'm so proud of you, Yami! Now let's go get you some condoms for next time!_

_Yu… YUGI!_

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- I purposely kept Yami's dream vague. In this AU, has not / will not recover most of his memories, so he doesn't know Seto's past name nor his own.  
- I love it when Yugi's got a dirty little mind.  
- Wah, I'm so cruel. I know people just want to see these two smack their bodies together and get it on. But come on, it's a first date (at least wait 'til the second one before getting it on). Anyways, the story's only just begun and it's now Seto's move. Will he call? Will he just show up? Is he just after his jacket! LOL

**Thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading!**


	3. Ch 2: Midnight Blue

**IMPORTANT A/N:**  
I got my chapters a little messed up. The first date really should have been only one chapter and I made it two, and now it's going to mess up my plans. So for the purposes of ffnet I'm leaving Chapter 1 split up as two parts (part 1 and part 2) and this is now officially Chapter 2 – sorry for the confusion.

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "Midnight Blue" is performed and recorded by Lou Gramm. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Shades of You and Me**

**Ch. 2: Midnight Blue**

* * *

Two days had passed. Two whole days since Yami had woken up in Kaiba's house, next to Kaiba's sleeping form, dreaming of making love to Kaiba's past incarnation.

_I thought that he'd come by, or at least call. We seemed to be getting along well enough._

What was even more distressing for the former Pharaoh wasn't the fact that he hadn't heard from Kaiba at all since their date, but the fact that he had become wholly and completely obsessed with him over the last two days. He couldn't get the vision of his past out of his mind.

… _naked bodies hot and fevered beneath the palm trees… eyes as blue as the Nile and as clear as the sky..._

"Hello… Yugi to Yami! Did you hear a word I said?"

The crimson-eyed teen nearly jumped. "What?!"

"I said, Jii-chan is going to do inventory in the stockroom right now, so can you work the shop with me the rest of the afternoon?" _Your obsession is starting to drive me crazy, Yami._

_I… I'm sorry, Aibou. _

Yugi's expression softened. _I tried to call Mokuba and Noa but apparently they've been grounded and aren't allowed to take phone calls. And I can't get through on their cellphones either. But I'll keep trying._

_No, it's all right, Yugi. I know you're trying to help, but this really is up to Kaiba now._

_Maybe… but I can't help but be involved. We've never really been able to seal off our thoughts and feelings from each other, you know?_

Yami glanced at Yugi and furrowed his brow. _I didn't mean to involve you. I know I've been moody as of late…_

_No, I can handle the moodiness. When we still shared a body, you were moody or upset sometimes and I was okay with that. What I can't deal with is your, um… overwhelming horniness? _

_My… what?!_

_I have no interest in guys, Yami. But this… unresolved sexual tension… in the last two days Kaiba has suddenly become a lot more attractive to me, if you know what I mean? And it was bad enough before. Why do you think I was so eager for you to get it on during your date? _

_Ahhhh… I thought… _

Yugi cut off the conversation and smiled as a customer walked in the door. "Welcome to the Ka… Kaiba!" He beamed at the scowling brunette and resisted the sudden horrifying urge to throw himself into his arms.

"Kaiba?" Yami felt his heartbeat pick up as he ducked out from behind the register.

Kaiba opened his mouth, thought about it, shut it, and then opened it again. Finally he settled for saying, "You have my jacket."

"Oh, I'll go…"

"It's at the dry cleaners!" Yugi suddenly shouted. "Right, Yami?"

_Aibou, it's upstairs._

_You wanna do it in our room? Fine. Just stay out of my bed._

_I'm not… we're not going to do anything in your bed!_ But he felt something stir in his pants at the lewd possibilities anyways.

Yugi mentally whapped his other half. _Look, tell him it's at the dry cleaners so he'll have an excuse to drive you some place, okay?_

"Dry cleaners," Yami repeated. "Right. I guess we should go pick it up." _Ra, he smells good, even after a day at work._

"Uh huh," said Kaiba, brow raised. "It's not at a fucking dry cleaners, is it?"

"Of course it is!" Yugi interrupted again, now stepping out from behind the counter. "By the way, did I mention you smell nice, Kaiba?" Yugi began unconsciously leaning towards the tall duelist.

Yami's eyes widened in alarm, as did Kaiba's. _Aibou!! What are you doing?_

_Yami, would you get him out of here already?! God, I never noticed his cologne before… _

"Uh… Kaiba, we have to go to the dry cleaners NOW," the ex-spirit practically yelled, grabbing onto Yugi's wrist and tugging him away from Kaiba. The violet-eyed teen gave them both a dazed look as he stumbled back into place behind the counter.

Kaiba stared at Yugi, then turned his gaze back to Yami. "Whatever. You two are just weird. But fine, you want me to take you to some nonexistent dry cleaners, let's go. As long as I get my blazer back by the end of the day."

Yugi just smiled at the two of them, and then suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to give his other half something of extreme importance. _Yami!_

_Are you all right?_

_Surrrrre, but never mind that. You forgot something! _Yugi fished something out of his pocket, then suddenly grinned wickedly. _Think fast! _he warned, and threw the item at Yami's face. _And this time, don't feel obligated to come home! I'll cover for you._

The crimson-eyed teen snatched the item out of the air at the last moment, then took one look at it and blushed deeply. He tried to shove it into his pocket before Kaiba saw it, but as soon as he heard the young billionaire's voice, he knew it was too late.

"Yami… did Yugi just throw you a strip of condoms?"

* * *

"So, where's the dry cleaners?" Kaiba asked, smirking, as he started up his Ferrari F355 Berlinetta. The engine roared to life impressively.

Yami considered his options, then decided to go with the truth. "I could make up directions and force you to drive randomly around town, but there's no point in that. The jacket's in my room upstairs. I just had to get you out of the shop, that's all."

Kaiba snorted, but a part of him was almost disappointed that Yami didn't play along with Yugi's silly suggestion. And speaking of Yugi… "What's wrong with your aibou today?"

"Er… I'll tell you later. It's a bit complicated."

"What makes you think I want to hang around till later? I'm a busy person and I just came by to pick something up."

Yami narrowed his eyes slightly. "Cut it out. I'm not playing games now. I just had to get you out of the shop before things with Yugi got even weirder. So if you're really busy and just want me to go get your jacket, I will." He slid his hand towards the door and Kaiba frowned.

"I… er… we talked about cars a few nights ago, right? And I was telling you about my sportscars and stuff? You said that you hadn't ridden in a Ferrari before. So do you… you still want to drive randomly around town anyways?"

The shorter teen turned and smiled. "Yes, actually, I would. And I'll have Yugi go get your jacket, okay?" _Yugi, if you have a moment, can you bring out Kaiba's jacket? It's on my bed. _

Kaiba nodded, and a minute later, Yugi dashed out of the store, blazer in hand. Yami grabbed it through the window with a quick mental note of thanks, and went to hand it to Kaiba, but the taller duelist simply said, "You can hang onto it for now. Ready to go?"

"Yeah… so how fast can this thing go, anyways? It looks fast." Yami leaned over Kaiba's lap a little. "That little thing on the left says 200. Does that mean this car can go 200 mph?

Kaiba grinned and began rattling off specs in his excitement. "Zero to sixty in 4.7. Top speed of 185 mph give or take… the speedometer is exaggerating, as always. But I'm trading this one in as soon as I get my new F430 Spyder, which should be delivered tomorrow or the next day. It's beautiful… I'm really only getting it for the silhouette. That sucker should hit sixty in under four seconds and tops out at 195, 196. And my new performance car is going to be a Koenigsegg CCR, which is the current fastest production car on the market with a top speed of over 240 mph. It's faster than the fuckin' McLaren F1. I'm having one built on special order right now."

Yami smiled absentmindedly at the flood of information. Kaiba certainly was talkative when it came to certain topics. "185 mph is still a whole lot faster than Jii-chan's station wagon..." he mused, giving Kaiba a challenging look. "Well, let's see it!" The billionaire smirked and hit the gas.

* * *

True to his word, Kaiba drove aimlessly around Domino at Yami's direction. Considering that it was the tail end of rush hour, they didn't manage to go any faster than 50 mph, but the shorter teen didn't mind. It was nice just zipping through traffic and chatting sporadically about things that were completely unimportant. But eventually the conversation wound itself back to the topic of Yugi again.

"It's later. So, you going to tell me what's wrong with little Yugi today?"

Yami cursed the brunette's excellent memory. "Does it really matter?"

"Call it curiosity. He was sniffing me, for starters. And then he threw you a bunch of condoms. Please tell me he's not asking for a threesome."

Yami considered pounding his head against the dashboard, then decided against it. His forehead wasn't worthy of the car. "He's… uh, you know how Yugi and I are linked, right?"

"Hmph. More of that mindless drivel, Yami?"

"Are you going to let me explain or not?" Kaiba's eyes narrowed but he wisely shut his mouth. "Yugi and I have been mind linked ever since he solved the Sennen Puzzle, and it's carried over even though I have my own body now. But we still try to respect each other's privacy. Sometimes though, strong thoughts… or feelings spill over the link. Which is why for a short time I thought I might be attracted to Anzu. And now, erm… Yugi's… he's attracted to you."

Kaiba suddenly slammed on the brakes after nearly running a red light. "Yugi's attracted to me. Because of you," he said stiffly.

"Something like that." The older duelist didn't say anything for a moment, and Yami swore he could hear his neurons firing. _Make the connection, Kaiba._

Kaiba finally gave a short snort and jammed on the gas pedal. "Noa wanted Chinese take-out for dinner. I really shouldn't indulge him since he's grounded, but if I don't he'll probably end up sneaking into the freezer and eating ice cream until he's sick. And Chinese doesn't sound bad to me. How about you?"

Yami grinned. "Sounds good."

* * *

As soon as they pulled up to the mansion, Noa and Mokuba ran out in greeting.

"Hi, Yami!" chirped Mokuba, grinning from ear to ear. "Nii-sama, did you have a good day?" He instantly ran around the car to take his brother's briefcase.

"Hn."

"Hey, Seto, Yami. Yay! You brought food!" Noa snatched the bag of take-out from Yami's hands.

"Um, you're welcome?"

"You better not have started on the ice cream, you little rat," said Kaiba, but Noa just stuck his tongue out in response. Yami couldn't help but smile as Kaiba ruffled Noa's green hair while the young teen protested in vain.

_It's odd seeing him like this. Kaiba's normally so stoic; I've never seen him act so friendly, not even with his brothers. Is he just in a good mood? Or is it because he's feeling a little more comfortable with my presence? _

Once they were in the foyer, Kaiba turned to his younger brothers. "Okay you two, show Yami to the kitchen. And I'll be taking this back." He plucked at the collar of the blazer Yami was still wearing.

"Ah, right." He shrugged off the jacket and handed it over, then watched appreciatively as the brunette strode up the stairs.

"Yami, as soon as you're done drooling over my brother, the kitchen's this way," said Mokuba, the back of his hand pressed against his lips. He looked over at Noa and then they both sniggered.

"I wasn't… um… yeah. Coming." _And I wish Mokuba and Noa were a little less perceptive._

* * *

They ended up eating at a small dinette set in the back of the kitchen. Kaiba nibbled at some noodles while Mokuba and Noa fought over the egg rolls, dry braised beef, and honey walnut shrimp. Yami laid claim to a box of Kung Pao chicken and fished out the red chili peppers, sucking on them thoughtfully between bites of food.

"I'm surprised that you don't have a chef or something back here. It's a nice kitchen. I bet I could whip up a lot of food here."

"You cook?" Kaiba sounded interested as well as surprised.

"Yes, well, I'm trying to at least. Yugi bought me some cookbooks."

"Oh, and here I was thinking that cooking was an important skill for a Pharaoh to master in ancient Egypt," the taller duelist said mockingly, but Mokuba immediately jabbed him in the ribs. "What was that for?" he hissed, glaring at the boy. Mokuba just glared back.

"So, uh… what do you like to cook, Yami?" Noa asked.

"Pretty much anything. Yugi likes burgers so I barbecue a lot. But he's open to most things. And you didn't hear this from me, but Jounouchi is usually my other… what's the term… 'guinea pig,' since he'll try anything I make."

"You should know better than that, Yami," Kaiba interjected in a scolding voice. "Dogs aren't known to be picky eaters."

"Kaiba." The ex-spirit sighed. "Talking about picky eaters, don't tell me you're already done."

"I'm done." The young CEO leaned back in his chair.

"You barely ate anything. What was that, one noodle?"

"Wrong. It was two." He reached over to Yami's plate, grabbed a chili pepper, and popped it in his mouth. "And one pepper."

"Kaiba, I'm serious. Considering your height, you're pretty skinny. You ought to eat more."

"Fuck off, Yami."

By this point, Mokuba and Noa were swiveling their heads back and forth with the conversation like spectators at a tennis tournament.

"Here, have some chicken." Yami used his chopsticks to flick a piece at Kaiba's plate. Kaiba glared at it as if it was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen, and tossed it back at Yami's head, managing to land it in Yami's blond bangs.

Noa and Mokuba instantly began snickering. The ex-spirit scowled and tossed a piece of chicken at Mokuba as well, bouncing it off his cheek. When Noa laughed even harder, Mokuba chucked a sticky glazed walnut at him, and then all hell broke loose. Kaiba grabbed the remainder of his chow mein and simply leaned over the table and dumped it on Yami's head, while Yami commandeered the sweet and sour sauce from the egg rolls and threw it into Kaiba's face. Meanwhile, Noa grabbed a handful of rice, ran around the table, and stuffed it down the front of Mokuba's shirt just as Mokuba retaliated with two handfuls of honeyed shrimp, rubbing it into Noa's hair. Deciding that the rice was a good addition to the red sauce, Yami also grabbed some, latched onto Kaiba's belt, and stuffed it down his trousers, eliciting something that sounded almost like a yelp along with his growled name. The former Pharaoh roared with laughter and then tried to beat a hasty retreat, but was a bit too slow to evade his adversary, who suddenly tackled him to the floor.

Yami's stomach ached from laughing so hard, and he slapped at Kaiba's chest until the brunette decided to pin his wrists to the ground. When he finally regained control of his senses, the shorter teen slowly looked up to see amused blue eyes peering back at him from a sea of dripping red sauce.

"You're a mess," Yami blurted out, reflexively twisting his wrist out of Kaiba's grasp and pushing back wet brown bangs. He only managed to smear the sauce through the taller teen's hair, which just made him chuckle again. Even covered in sauce, the older duelist was stunning to look at.

A slow, genuine smile spread over Kaiba's face as a blob of sauce dripped off his chin and landed on Yami's nose. "Of course I'm a mess. This is one of the dumbest things I've ever done."

"Same here. Feels good, doesn't it?"

"You're obviously not the one with rice in your underwear."

Yami gave him an unrepentant grin. "Oops."

Kaiba twisted his head to look over at his amused younger brothers. "All right you two, I'll make you a deal. If you clean up this mess before going to bed, I'll unground you. Unground… hn. Is that even a word?"

"Deal," said Noa, picking bits of shrimp out of his hair. Mokuba also nodded in agreement and brought some napkins over to the older duo.

"Shouldn't I help as well?" asked Yami, now swiping at the droplets of sauce splattering his face.

"No." The taller duelist stood up while wiping off his face, then adjusted the crotch of his pants a little. A few particles of rice fell out of his pant legs. "I'm getting that crap out of your hair, then you're taking a shower." He held his hand out to Yami.

The shorter teen accepted the help up. "You need a shower too, probably more than I do."

"Maybe." He began plucking noodles and vegetables out of Yami's hair.

_I could help you get the rice out of your pants and underwear, _Yami wanted to say, but in the interests of not sounding _too_ forward, he kept his mouth shut and stood silently while Kaiba picked out the food particles in his hair.

"Okay, I think I got all the large pieces. You can use the shower off of my room. Come with me."

* * *

Yami stood in Kaiba's bedroom and tried to finger comb his hair into some semblance of order while the young billionaire took his turn in the shower. _It's so tempting… I want to peek!_ He had to wonder if the brunette was purposely doing this to tease him, or was he really so clueless as to think that Yami wouldn't be tempted to "check in" on him? Normally he would have thought it was all an act, but Kaiba had been surprisingly… _benign_, the majority of the day. Was he really taking to heart all the things Yami had told him earlier on?

_I like seeing this side of Kaiba. He's been full of surprises today, _he thought, idly tugging up the waistband of the boxers Kaiba had loaned him. The older teen had also loaned him a T-shirt and pajama pants, but Yami opted out of the pants since they were much too long for him. _I ought to do something nice in return… show him I appreciate his efforts._ Hearing the water shut off, Yami sat down on Kaiba's large, comfortable bed and waited for the taller duelist to finish up in the bathroom.

Kaiba finally emerged from the bathroom some five minutes later, a towel draped around his shoulders and a pair of light cotton pajama pants hanging loosely off his slim hips. Yami couldn't help but be riveted by the sight of his rival's slender, toned physique, and once again his dream surged to the forefront. _Ra help me, I just want to touch that chest…_

"Yami?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you on my bed?"

Yami blinked. "Do you want me to get off?" He put his hands down behind him and began to scoot towards the edge, but Kaiba just shook his head.

"It's… okay. Guess it doesn't matter," he said gruffly. _Why am I so nervous? _He snuck another quick peek at Yami sitting on his bed in nothing more than a borrowed T-shirt and silk boxers. _Oh yeah, that's why._

_Aww… he's nervous. Ugh, did I just think "Aww?" I need to stop listening to Anzu and Shizuka. _"Come here… have a seat."

"Why?"

"I want to give you a backrub. You look a bit tense."

Kaiba frowned slightly and considered his options quickly. Finally deciding there was nothing overtly harmful about the offer, he slowly sat down next to Yami. "Just a backrub."

"That's right."

"What should I…"

"Just lie face down on the bed." Kaiba tossed his towel onto the floor, then hesitantly stretched himself out on the bed. Yami dropped his towel on top of Kaiba's, then went to turn off the bedroom lights, leaving just the bathroom lights on. "You wouldn't happen to have any massage oil or anything… lubricating like that around, would you?"

"No."

_So much for Yugi's contention that he's got lube around here, and considering how he's been acting… Kaiba's obviously a virgin. _The thought excited Yami, but he willed himself to ignore the insistent throbbing between his legs. "Uh… hmm. I guess I'll just start with something simple, all right? If I do anything you don't like, just let me know."

Kaiba grunted. Yami half sat, half knelt by his side, and began running his fingertips lightly up and down the taller teen's spine, then tracing light circles outward from there. The former Pharaoh admired the pale skin under his fingertips, which was still slightly warm and damp from the shower. Kaiba did have a few old scars, but they were barely noticeable and in no way detracted from the sleek beauty of his body.

For several minutes, Yami continued his gentle ministrations until Kaiba finally gave in and moaned softly, settling himself into the mattress and stretching his back out in a catlike fashion. "You like that?"

"It's… nice…" Kaiba said, the words slurring a bit.

"Yeah? Yugi taught me how to do this." He began to gently roll stiff neck muscles in his palm.

"Hnn… I haven't… had anyone… do this in a… long time."

"Really? You don't have a personal masseuse or anything?" Yami joked lightly. "No chef, no masseuse, and you make your brothers clean up the kitchen. Are you sure you're rich?"

The muscles under his hands twitched and stiffened in agitation. "What, you think because I have money that can't take care of things on my own?" snarled Kaiba, and Yami stopped rubbing for a moment. "I'm not going to let my brothers be lazy and complacent; they can clean up their own room and their own messes. I keep a minimal staff around… a housekeeper comes twice a week, the gardeners once a week, and I have a mechanic on-call. Plus the security team."

"I wasn't implying anything, Kaiba. It was just a joke. I think it's admirable that you're teaching your brothers to be responsible." The younger teen resumed massaging, moving back to the neck muscles which had tightened up again. "Can I ask another question without you getting upset?"

Kaiba's muscles tensed up marginally. "Depends."

"Don't feel obligated to answer, then. How many other people have you dated?"

No response.

"Okay then. How are my backrubs compared to ones you've gotten before?"

The brunette seemed to be debating something internally. Finally he responded. "I haven't dated anyone else."

Yami blinked. "Really… huh. I'm honored."

"Why do you sound surprised?"

"You're attractive, I already told you. And you're intelligent, famous…"

Kaiba let out a soft snort and bitterly said, "I'm not interested in women, publicity hounds or gold diggers. Or idiots, cowards or sycophants. And I intimidate and scare off about 99 percent of those who remain. How many guys are left in the dating pool after that? And it wasn't like you chose to go out with me anyways; it was a set-up."

Yami sighed. "I already explained that to you, Kaiba. And obviously I didn't regret it or else I wouldn't be here now. But now I'm curious as to why you chose to answer my first question instead of the second one?"

Kaiba took a deep breath and once again, his back stiffened. He said nothing for a long minute, then murmured, "My mother."

_What?_ "What do you mean?"

"My mother… she used to do that thing that you were doing earlier, to put me to bed."

"Oh." Inwardly, Yami winced. He hoped he hadn't dredged up any unpleasant memories or associations. His hands hesitated for a moment, then resumed the massage.

"Um… would you go back to doing that thing again?" Kaiba asked softly, after several more minutes had passed.

Yami paused again, this time in surprise. "Okay… sure." Yami stopped pressing his palms into Kaiba's back and lifted his hands back up until only his fingertips were touching, then began moving them around in a light, sweeping motion. The older duelist began to stretch himself out again and sighed deeply.

"Hn…" His eyelids fluttered shut. "And don't… fall asleep… okay?"

"Uh..." Now that was a cryptic statement. _Don't fall asleep… right now? Tonight? In this bed? In this house? Let's see, my shirt is in the wash, but I suppose I could just wear this T-shirt and my pants and get one of the security guys to take me home. Thank goodness leather wipes clean. _"Kaiba?"

He didn't respond. Yami took a closer look and realized he had managed to put Kaiba to sleep yet again.

* * *

Yami was in the process of quietly sneaking out of Kaiba's bedroom when he was suddenly accosted in the hallway by Mokuba and Noa, both in pajamas.

"Yami, what are you doing?" Mokuba asked, rather loudly.

The crimson-eyed teen pressed his index finger against his lips. "Shh… Kaiba's asleep."

The brothers just stared at Yami as if he had just claimed to have seen the tooth fairy. "It's not even 10:00 yet. Seto doesn't go to bed until way later," Noa argued.

"Well then, he's amazing at pretending to be asleep," Yami said quietly.

"I have to see this." Mokuba wandered over to the door to Kaiba's bedroom, peeked in, and came back with a look of awe on his face. "I can't believe it… Yami, what did you do to him?" he asked, accusation in his voice.

"I just gave him a backrub. Why? What did you think I did?"

"I thought you guys were doing _it_, you know, and then you were being scummy and trying to sneak out afterwards."

Yami indulged his urge to slap himself on the forehead. "Mokuba, you thought that I… that Kaiba and I… you're what, 10?"

"12!"

Yami sighed. "You're watching too much TV."

Mokuba just gave him another odd look. Then Noa asked, "So did Nii-sama kick you out or something before he fell asleep? Or why are you leaving?"

"Yes, well, no, not really. Actually, I'm not sure. I usually have a pretty good read on your brother, but he's thrown me for several loops today."

Noa rolled his eyes. "Unless he specifically _told_ you to leave, you should stay."

"Uh… where?"

"In his bed, duh."

_Why me?_ "Why is everyone trying to get me… what did Yugi call it… 'thrown down' by Kaiba?"

Mokuba gasped. "We didn't tell you to go have sex with him! Just go sleep in his bed."

"You were implying that I just had sex with him!" Yami countered.

"Well, now I know you didn't, so get back in there. Don't make me handcuff you to the bed!"

Yami took a deep breath. "Okay, two questions. First of all, why do you even own handcuffs? And secondly, why do you want me to sleep in Kaiba's bed?"

Mokuba and Noa looked at each other. "I got the handcuffs from Isono," the black-haired boy answered.

"And don't you _want_ to sleep with Seto?" asked Noa smugly.

"Errr…" _He's right, I do. So why AM I arguing about it?_ "All right… I guess I'm going to bed then?"

Both brothers grinned. "Good night, Yami," Mokuba said sweetly.

"Don't let the bedbugs bite… or Nii-sama, either," Noa added in.

"Uh… right. Good night."

As soon as the crimson-eyed teen disappeared back into Kaiba's bedroom, Mokuba turned to Noa and asked, "So should we call Yugi back now that we have good news?"

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- For a moment this almost turned into Flareshipping. Down, Yugi! No Seto Kaiba for you! I hope this chapter kinda explains why Yugi was acting so weird last chapter. He sorta mentioned it early on in Ch. 1, but I had fun reiterating it here.  
- Not to obsess over cars (I like sportscars just for the aesthetics), I was trying to figure out what car Seto paid half a million for in episode 171 during the Orichalcos Doom arc. My best guess is a Ferrari F355 Berlinetta, which is currently worth maybe 100,000. If I'm correct then that car salesman just had his year made :). But frankly, it's not the prettiest car I've seen, which is why I'm having Seto trade it in for a F430 Spyder (which incidentally isn't even available on the market yet (at the time this fic was written)). The Koenigsegg is a nod to Seto's need for speed.  
- I have NO idea where the food fight came from. It just happened. I wish Yami and Seto would learn to behave! It almost led to a shower scene, but I reworked it so that there would be no hanky panky… yet.  
- Re: Seto's mother. The only thing I know about her is that in the manga, she likely died from complications when Mokuba was born. But Seto had to learn from somewhere or someone the desire to take care of Mokuba the way he did, and in this case I chose to assign that role to his mother. I wanted Seto to be able to connect Yami to a pleasant memory.

**Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad y'all are enjoying this story.**


	4. Ch 3: Deep Purple

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "Midnight Blue" is performed and recorded by Lou Gramm. Froot Loops are a product of Kellogg's. M&Ms are a product of Mars, Incorporated. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

Responses to questions posed by reviewers thus far:  
- Re: Seto telling Yami not to fall asleep (Pysche) - Quite simple. He didn't want Yami to stop rubbing his back, that's all. Yami of course took the statement and let his imagination go wild with it.  
- Re: Seto being a nervous virgin (mechante fille) - I know I sorta responded to this via email, but I wanted to make sure and point this out to anyone else who may be wondering about it. He's coming across as a nervous virgin (and that's also what Yami thinks) but that's not the real problem. But I've decided that it won't really get explained until the sequel, though I am hinting at it throughout the story thus far. I like to tie things from one story to the next and so on.

**

* * *

**

**Ch. 3: Deep Purple**

* * *

Kaiba woke up with the most unusual feeling that the bed was breathing on him. Without even opening his eyes, he furrowed his brow and reached out a cautious hand, finding a tuft of soft, spiky hair. _Mmm, probably just Yami… in my bed… HUH?!_

He bolted upright, eyes flying open, and whipped his head to the side to see the silhouette of his former rival curled up on top of his comforter. _Holy shit… what happened?! He was rubbing my back and… Did I fall asleep again?_

Kaiba scratched the back of his head. Although it was disconcerting that Yami was able to get him to fall asleep so easily, the brunette honestly couldn't remember ever getting a better night's sleep.

As his eyes adjusted to the dim early morning light, he cocked his head and studied the former Pharaoh. Yami was practically swimming in the navy T-shirt Kaiba had lent him, and the legs of the borrowed silk boxers rode up high on his thighs while the waistband slipped down to his hipbones. His spiky tri-colored hair was splayed all over the pillow. Asleep, Yami lost that dangerous edge that kept everyone on their toes and he looked, surprisingly, like a regular teenager. Other than that crazy hair, of course.

_Damn it, I'm losing it. _Kaiba glanced at Yami again. _But he looks good lying here in my bed. In my clothes. Am I really considering a relationship with the King of Games? The same guy that's been a thorn in my side for much of the last two years? Hn… what am I thinking!? He's probably just looking for a fuck buddy or something._

The brunette slid out of bed, then as an afterthought flipped his side of the comforter over Yami. _Not going to have him blame me for waking up cold. _Then he disabled the alarm clock and got ready for work, though it took a little longer than usual since he was trying to stay as quiet as possible. But he thought it was worth the effort, because by the time he left, Yami was still blissfully asleep.

* * *

Yami so loved sleeping in. So when he pleasantly drifted awake sometime around 10:00 AM, his waking thought was, _I love it when I have late shift._ But his good mood only lasted until he realized he had just spent the night in Kaiba's bed… doing absolutely nothing. _ARRRGGGHHH!! _

The ex-spirit sat up slowly and ran his fingers through his hair, looking around the room. Of course, Kaiba was long gone by this point. So there went his good mood and worse yet, now his morning woody wanted some attention as well. _Cold shower or just beat off in Kaiba's bed? _Neither was what he wanted, but in consideration for Kaiba's possessions, the cold shower won out.

After a very long, freezing shower, Yami dressed himself in his leather pants and Kaiba's T-shirt, for lack of anything better. He really wanted to contact his aibou, but since he wasn't exactly sure what was going on he decided that perhaps it would be more prudent if he talked to Mokuba or Noa first.

It wasn't hard for Yami to locate the two younger Kaibas in the mansion. Now that they were no longer grounded, they were in their shared bedroom playing a very loud, destructive sounding video game. The crimson-eyed teen wandered into the doorway just as Mokuba steered his car over a slew of pedestrians and crashed into a brick wall.

"Good morning!" Yami yelled over the game's obnoxious sound effects.

"Hey Yami! You sure sleep in late," Mokuba yelled back, before Noa turned down the volume on the television.

Yami smiled sheepishly. "Sorry… unless someone wakes me up, I tend to sleep in."

"Nah, it's okay. Nii-sama usually leaves before 6:00 AM anyways," said Noa. "You want some breakfast?"

"Um… I think I should go home."

"Nonsense. And by the way, we called Yugi last night and he said Jounouchi will be happy to help cover your shifts, so stay as long as you'd like."

Yami had to lift a brow at this. "You called Yugi."

"Yep!" said Mokuba.

"I guess… I'll have some breakfast then."

"I'll take you downstairs," Noa volunteered. "Mokuba's busy trying to beat his old score for highest body count. Is cereal okay?"

"As long as it has sugar in it."

The green-haired teen grinned broadly. "You have good taste, Yami."

* * *

While Yami munched on a bowl of Froot Loops, he decided to go ahead and contact Yugi. At least it was summer, so Yugi and Jou were both free to take extra shifts in the shop, but he still felt bad about it.

_Aibou? Are you busy?_

_Yami! Uh… okay, Jou's got that customer covered. So… how did last night go?_

_We had dinner. Then I went up to Kaiba's bedroom and he fell asleep._

_Oh no! Yami, that's terrible!_ Yugi screamed into the link.

Yami rolled his eyes. Obviously Yugi's mind was still in the gutter. _I didn't try to do anything! I gave him a backrub and that put him to sleep._

_Ohhhhh… So now what are you up to?_

_Eating cereal. I just got up a little while ago. Do you need me to come in for my shift today?_

_Yami, by the time you get here, your shift will pretty much be over anyways. And Jou said he could use the extra cash anyways, so don't worry about it. Spend time with Kaiba!_

_He's at work._

_Oh, right. Hmm… I have an idea! Why don't you make dinner for him then?_

_Dinner? That's not a bad idea… maybe, hmm… do you still have that lasagne recipe from last time?_

_I think so. You want me to find it and read it off to you?_

_Well, actually… I need to come home anyways. I ought to get a change of clothes at least. I'm in Kaiba's shirt right now._

Yugi practically squealed. _How cute! Why…?_

Yami winced at his aibou's mental screech. _We got into… there was a food fight. And my shirt is in a laundry hamper somewhere._

The violet-eyed teen laughed heartily. _A food fight? With Kaiba? How did you manage that?_

_It… just happened. Anyhow, I'll be home in a little bit, okay? Please don't tell Jounouchi or Jii-chan anything._

_Jou was asking about you earlier, but I just told him you were busy with some personal stuff. And Jii-chan already knows… and he's about as okay with it as he'd ever be, I guess. He didn't try to stop me from setting you guys up, that's for sure._

Yami let out a little sigh of relief. _All right, thanks. I'll see you later, Aibou._

* * *

One of Kaiba's security guards drove Yami back to the Kame Game Shop, though the ex-spirit had the presence of mind to ask him to park around the corner so that no one in the shop would see the limo. The KAIBA2 license plate was a dead giveaway, after all.

Yami entered the house from the back door and went up to the bedroom he shared with Yugi and changed into a pair of fitted black trousers with buckles on the legs and a yellow and black slashed muscle shirt before heading down to the kitchen to dig up the lasagne recipe. While he was sorting through the cookbooks, he contacted Yugi through their link and asked the violet-eyed teen to come to the kitchen.

"Hey, so you're really going to make dinner, huh?"

"Yeah…" Yami let loose a tiny sigh. "You really think this is a good idea?"

Yugi sat down and smiled. "Of course. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"This is Seto Kaiba we're talking about. I don't think conventional tactics work on him. He barely eats as it is." Then Yami scowled and smacked the counter with his palm. "Damn it! I can't believe I put him to sleep last night! What was I thinking?"

"You should've just jumped him then." He fluttered his lashes coyly.

Yami rolled his eyes. "The next person who says you're sweet and innocent, Yugi… I'm going to Mind Crush them." Yugi merely laughed at the threat. "Anyways, I cannot just 'jump him' or 'throw him down' or whatever other turn of phrase you may choose to call it. I think… no, I _know_ he's a virgin and he seems to get nervous around any… insinuations I may make."

"No way… I can't imagine that Kaiba's never done it before! I mean, he's… wow."

"He told me I was the only person he's ever dated. And I'll assume he's never gone hunting for paid services, being as uptight as he is. I guess it's hard having a social life when you're the CEO of your own company at 18 and have guardianship of two little brothers as well. It was probably just as hard on me as well when I was Pharaoh 3,000 years ago."

Jou's voice suddenly interrupted the conversation, "Hey, Yami! Where've you been? And what were you saying about being Pharaoh and all?"

Yami instantly stiffened, then relaxed marginally when he realized that Jou had only caught the tail end of his previous sentence. "Uh… nothing. Just chitchat. I've been busy."

"Yeah, with what? Oh, by the way, Yug, your Jii-chan was looking for some more those new box sets… you know where they are?"

Yugi nodded. "Third shelf on the right, at the bottom. The storage boxes have last week's date on them."

"Ah, okay. You going to be hanging around a bit, Yami?"

The crimson-eyed teen glanced at his aibou, then shook his head. "I better be going. I still have a lot of stuff to do today." He grabbed the cookbook he needed and tucked it under his arm along with Kaiba's T-shirt, then gave his other half a quick hug.

Yugi smiled and hugged back. "All right. I'll talk to you later." _If you need anything, let me know, okay?_

"Yeah." _Thanks, Aibou. _"Bye, Jou."

"Bye!" The blonde waited till Yami was out the door, then grabbed Yugi's arm as he began walking back to the storefront. "So who's the girl?"

"The… what?"

"Yami's secret girlfriend. Who is she?"

Yugi blinked. _Ohhh boy…_ "What makes you think he has a girlfriend?"

Jou pushed back his bangs. "Look, I know I'm not the smartest one around here, but even I can put two and two together. Yami's too busy to show up for work, and now he's goes and grabs a cookbook, so he's got a romantic dinner planned or something, right? Looks like he even grabbed a sleepshirt or something. Someone's getting lucky all right, but… he's not with Anzu, is he?"

The shorter teen blanched. "No! No… absolutely not. Uh, look… I really can't tell you, Jou. It's up to Yami if he wants to talk about it, you know?"

Jou's brown eyes bored into Yugi's for a moment, then the taller teen grinned. "Yeah, I guess that's true. I'll just get Yami to tell me the truth next time he's around. Maybe he'll bring her around for Friday night coffee or something, ya think?"

"Um, maybe…" _Sorry, Jou. I don't think that's going to happen._

* * *

After leaving the game shop, Yami had the driver take him to a local market to buy ingredients. Unsure whether or not Kaiba even owned things like measuring cups and ovenware, Yami picked up everything that he thought he might need and then headed straight back to the mansion.

_I wish I knew how to drive,_ thought Yami after the guard dropped him off at the stairs leading to the loggia. _Maybe Kaiba can teach me. _The former Pharaoh smiled a little to himself at the thought of racing down the street in the red Ferrari with Kaiba screaming in the passenger's seat. _Or maybe not._

Upon reaching the kitchen, Yami took a few minutes to take stock of everything in the refrigerator, pantry and cabinets. If he didn't need the cooking supplies he bought, he would just give them to Yugi and Jii-chan. But Yami was glad for once that he went overboard on shopping. Considering how spacious the kitchen was, there really was nothing in it. A few mugs and dishes and some very basic cookware took up only a fraction of the cabinet space, and the pantry was barely stocked with nothing more than cereal, canned soup, ramen packets, and junk food. The refrigerator wasn't much better; the freezer was full of microwavable foods and ice cream and the fridge had bread and beverages. _What in the world do the Kaibas eat?_ Yami wondered, his nose wrinkling a bit. Not that it was really his business, but he couldn't imagine Kaiba and his brothers subsisting on nothing but take-out and junk food.

"Well, at least I can make a decent dinner," he muttered to himself as he unpacked his shopping bags.

"What are you doing?" Noa asked, wandering into the room in search of a snack.

"I'm making dinner. Do you know what time Kaiba usually comes home?"

The green-haired teen frowned. "Late, usually. You want me to give him a call and find out?"

"No, it's all right. I know he's busy and besides, this stuff heats up pretty well so even if he's late, it will microwave easily."

Noa fished a bag of chips out of the pantry and began munching some. "So what are you making?"

"Lasagne, and don't eat any more junk food. You'll spoil your appetite."

The younger teen almost choked on his chips. "You sound like someone's mother."

Yami thought about it and then made a face. "By the Nile, you're right."

Noa chuckled. "So… can I help? I never learned to cook before."

"Why not? You think Mokuba would want to help out as well?"

"Yeah! Lemme go get him." The green-haired teen ran from the room and rushed up to his bedroom. "Hey, Otouto!" he called out.

Mokuba looked up from his computer. "What's up?"

"Call Nii-sama and tell him to come home on time today, okay? Cause we're going to help Yami make dinner."

* * *

Kaiba walked through the front door shortly before 6:00 PM. Oddly Mokuba and Noa hadn't come out to greet him, and there was an unfamiliar but delicious aroma wafting through the air. _Hn. I guess he really did make dinner._

Then Mokuba's voice rang out. "We're in the kitchen, Seto!"

The young billionaire put his briefcase down, shrugged off his trench coat and blazer, and headed towards the kitchen. "So what's for dinner?" he asked as he stepped into the room. Mokuba, Noa and Yami were all seated at the island, playing hold 'em with M&Ms substituting as poker chips.

"Lasagne," Noa answered frostily. "So Yami, I bet you have a pair, huh. But it's probably just deuces. You know, I have pocket aces," he bluffed. "I raise you 10." He shoved a handful of M&Ms at the center of the counter.

The King of Games didn't even hesitate. "Aces? I don't know if I can top that, but... all in."

"Shit!" Kaiba quirked a brow at Noa. "I mean, er… shoot. I fold. I guess that was the last hand anyways, right?"

"Yep." Yami scooped up his entire stash of M&Ms and started shoveling them into his mouth. "Dinahz awmost reddy."

"Yami, that is so gross," Mokuba complained, then he grabbed all his "chips" as well and munched them in one big mouthful. Noa laughed and followed their lead.

The crimson-eyed teen chuckled under his breath, then got up and walked towards Kaiba, who was still standing by the entryway. Smirking wickedly, he took the brunette's hand and dropped a few candies into his upturned palm before sauntering over to the oven. Kaiba's other brow went up. _God, these are probably covered in his germs. But… oh well. _He popped the M&Ms into his mouth and wandered towards the oven as Yami pulled out a large rectangular dish.

"That looks sooo good," said Mokuba, his eyes large as saucers. Yami grabbed a spatula and gave the noodles and sauce an experimental poke.

"Is that supposed to be cheese?" Kaiba asked, frowning. _That's the worst looking cheese I've ever seen._

"Alfredo sauce, actually," Noa answered. "You're still going to eat it, right Seto?"

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a yes. This needs to cool down for a few minutes. Go sit down, Kaiba."

"Don't tell me what to do," Kaiba snapped, but he went over to the dinette and grabbed a seat anyhow. "So what are you, some sort of housewife or something?" he sneered as he began tugging off his tie.

Yami didn't take the bait. Instead, he began washing some parsley sprigs. "I missed my shift at the game shop today, so I figured I might as well make myself useful around here. Noa, Mokuba, you guys can go have a seat too. And thanks for your help."

"No problem," said Noa, stopping by the fridge to grab a jug of fruit juice. Mokuba grabbed some glasses and the two headed to the table.

"Did you have a good day, Nii-sama?" Mokuba asked once they were seated.

"Hmph. If you count firing a half dozen people, trying to attend two meetings scheduled for conflicting times, and having one of the main servers crash for a half-hour as good things, then I had a phenomenal…" Then his cellphone started ringing. "Shit, I forgot to turn it off."

"Don't answer it, Nii-sama."

Kaiba glanced at Noa and flipped the phone open anyways. "Kaiba. Yes. Well, it was when I left… get to the point. Well, fix it then! I don't pay you to sit around and watch the system fuck itself over... You had better get it fixed tonight!" He stood up and began wandering around the kitchen. "God damn mother fucking… well I'm _trying_ to have dinner right now. Fine. Fine, and if I have to run down there tonight to fix your screw up, don't bother showing up tomorrow because you're going to be out of a job, you hear me, dipshit?!"

Yami wandered over to the table. "Does he talk that way to all his employees?" he whispered. Noa smiled and Mokuba halfheartedly shrugged. The ex-spirit gave them both a lopsided grin, then went back to the counter and started cutting up the lasagne while Kaiba continued to rant at the unfortunate soul on the phone.

By the time Kaiba slammed his phone shut and threw it on the table in frustration, Yami had already dished out the lasagne and was seated in front of his portion. "Sit down and eat, Kaiba." He began reaching for the phone.

Kaiba sat, then seeing Yami's hand heading for his cellphone, attempted to grab it first and missed by millimeters. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Yami glanced at the phone and couldn't for the life of him figure out how to switch it off, so he quickly threw it under the table into Mokuba's lap and said, "Turn it off."

"Mokuba, do NOT turn it off."

The black-haired boy glanced at Yami, then at his brother, then at the phone, then at Kaiba one more time. With a grin, he turned it off and shoved it into a pocket. "Sorry, Seto."

"Damn it," the tall duelist ground out.

"You can have it back after you eat," Yami said pleasantly.

"Fine, whatever." Kaiba stabbed his fork into his dinner and shoved a huge chunk of lasagne into his mouth.

Yami watched the young billionaire critically as he wolfed down his food. _I hope he likes it. Maybe he's just desperate to get his phone back. _"So what do you think, Kaiba?" The brunette paused to shrug, then continued to eat like there was no tomorrow.

"This is SO good, Yami!" Mokuba gushed. Noa grunted in agreement. Yami smiled at the two of them. "So you gonna keep cooking for us?"

"I suppose I could, whenever I have… the opportunity. But you guys seriously need some cookware. A toaster, a microwave, and a single skillet and saucepan aren't going to cut it."

Kaiba swallowed a mouthful of food, and waved his fork at Yami. "Take Mokuba or Noa with you tomorrow and get whatever you need. They both have credit cards."

The ex-spirit grinned broadly. "Really? Because I can really deck out this kitchen if you'll let me."

"Why not? I hardly think you're going to break my bank account. If nothing else, I know you're not after my money."

_Ooookay._ Yami's brows knit together. "Of course I'm not after your money. I'm not after anything."

"Peh. Wrong." The brunette chased down the last bit of noodle, cheese and spinach on his plate, then asked Mokuba for his phone, grabbed it, and left the table.

As soon as Kaiba was out of earshot, a thoroughly befuddled Yami asked, "Okay, did I just miss something?"

"Well, technically you're after Seto," Noa pointed out.

"Well, from what Yugi told me, you're after something in Seto's pants." Mokuba waggled his eyebrows, causing his brother to groan.

Yami's eyes widened and he frowned. "You're really a little too smart for your own good, you know that? Both of you." He gave a sigh and put down his fork. "Well, I guess that didn't go over so well. I don't think Kaiba liked my lasagne."

"Are you kidding? He loved it!" Mokuba said assertively. "I've never seen him finish an entire plate of anything, and that was a huge serving you gave him."

"I, er… thought he just wanted to get his phone back."

"You only told him he had to eat it. You didn't say he had to finish it. And he didn't turn the phone back on, did he?" Yami thought about it and shook his head. _The kid's good at this, really good._

"And he offered to let you buy whatever you wanted for the kitchen, so that was his way of saying thank you. Yami, I thought you knew him better than that," Noa lightly chided.

"I do. Or at least I did, until I started dating him. Now I'm seeing a whole new side to Kaiba and I'm confused."

Mokuba's gray eyes danced with amusement. "It's a good thing we're on your side then, isn't it?"

* * *

It took Yami several minutes to find Kaiba once he finished cleaning up in the kitchen. The young CEO had retreated to his home office upstairs and was typing furiously on his laptop when Yami walked in with a tray and two cups of tea.

"Hn. What do you want?" Kaiba asked, never looking up from his computer.

"Tea?"

"Whatever."

Yami put a mug down by the brunette's mouse. "You were right, I was lying. I do want something."

"And that would be?"

"I want you. But more than that, I want you to want me too." The typing stopped and blue eyes flickered up momentarily to meet Yami's crimson gaze. Kaiba took a few quick sips of tea and resumed typing again.

"That piece of shit server's down again. I can't believe I have to walk these idiots through fixing the damn problem. Remind me why I pay a bunch of incompetents to do nothing but aggravate me."

The former Pharaoh frowned. "I wouldn't know."

"Exactly." Kaiba continued to type, grimacing at the screen.

Yami shrugged, took a sip of tea, and sat down on the brunette's desk. What he really wanted to do was to jump on Kaiba and ravish him silly to get his mind off of work, but seeing that THAT wasn't going to happen, he decided to just keep talking.

"You know, I had a dream about my past as Pharaoh after our first date."

"That's all rubbish and you know it," Kaiba automatically responded.

"If it's all rubbish where in Ra's name did I suddenly come from? You were there when I got pulled out of the Puzzle, remember? Or do you think you're hallucinating this entire time? Maybe Noa's a figment of your imagination as well? Honestly, Kaiba!" The taller duelist merely grunted, having no answer for any of that. "Anyways, I dreamt about myself and my high priest, you know, the one who you're a reincarnation of."

"Right. Reincarnation. Now that's bullshit."

Yami scowled and muttered under his breath, "It probably is bullshit, because he was my lover, unlike you."

The typing stopped abruptly, and the crimson-eyed teen winced. _Why the HELL did I say that? Good job, idiot, there goes any chance of a relationship right down the drain. _He hadn't meant to blurt that out, but Kaiba kept wavering between being hesitant and quiet to being pigheaded and irritating, and his hormones were going into overdrive, and…

"Well, if that's how you feel, you know where the front door is. Don't let it hit you on the way out," Kaiba said calmly, though inside he was more than disappointed.

Yami gritted his teeth. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. You're just…"

"Of course you did. And I'm so glad you're being honest with me. I wouldn't have wanted to make the mistake of fucking you and then having you compare my performance to that of some dead guy." _I knew it! I knew he just wanted a quick lay, stupid fucking King of Games. _

"It's not like that… I know you're him but also not him. You're not his replacement, Kaiba, you're more like… an extension? It's hard to explain." Yami rubbed his forehead and dropped his gaze to the rug. "Of course I want to have sex with you… eventually. But that's not all I want; hell, that's not even what's important though my dick tells me otherwise. I mean, I can't help but be attracted to you physically, but... I want more. I want to know you, Seto Kaiba. I thought I understood you after having dueled against you and beside you for two years. But I was wrong… I only knew the façade you put on when you faced the world." His voice dropped to a near whisper. "And when you're not acting like a jackass, when you let your walls drop a little, well… I like what I see."

Kaiba stared at his hands on the keyboard. It was fascinating the way some keys lined up vertically and others didn't. _But not as fascinating as…_

"Well, thanks for not interrupting and letting me say my piece. Is it all right if I have one of your security staff take me home, or should I ask Jii-chan to come and get me?"

"No."

"Well, I suppose I could walk, but that's a bit harsh, don't you…"

"Shut up." He shut the laptop and rested his chin on top of folded hands, staring blankly at the wall. Neither one of them said a word for several minutes, then Kaiba stood up and walked around his desk until he was standing in front of Yami, looking down critically at the shorter teen. Yami tilted his chin to look up at him when the brunette suddenly leaned down, lips slightly parted, and kissed him. Yami buried a gasp and responded the best he could, his neck straining as he pressed his mouth firmly against Kaiba's, the tip of his tongue flicking out slightly to taste the taller duelist's lips. They were warm and soft and tasted of tea. Before he had a chance to deepen the kiss though, Kaiba pulled away, a bit flushed and out of breath.

"What… what was that for?" Yami whispered dazedly as soon as he found his voice. _Great Horus… that was an amazing kiss. Does this mean he understands what I was trying to say?_

"I was trying to see whether or not you were telling the truth," Kaiba explained, licking his lips experimentally. _Damn, I need to do this more often._

_By kissing me? What a lame excuse. I hope he can come up with another lame excuse. _"And…?"

_I believe you. _"I can't tell. Let me try again." He leaned down and pressed his lips against Yami's once again.

* * *

After sharing several more kisses, Kaiba declared that the ex-spirit was indeed telling the truth and promptly went back to work on his computer. Yami decided to just kick back in a club chair with a magazine and keep him company, letting the young billionaire use him as a sounding board whenever he got frustrated with his "worthless employees and shitty server." But true to Mokuba's assurance, the phone did not ring again the rest of the evening.

It took Kaiba almost three hours to resolve the server issue to his satisfaction, and Yami figured that heads would be rolling at KaibaCorp the next day. But the older teen was agreeable to Yami's suggestion that they head for bed once he finished his troubleshooting session. Again they took turns in the shower, Yami going first, and again the shorter duelist donned Kaiba's T-shirt before crawling under the covers.

Kaiba came out from the bathroom shortly afterwards and threw himself onto the left side of the bed. "So now that I'm letting you sleep in my bed, are you still going to be here when I wake up?"

Yami turned his head slightly and looked at Kaiba. The brunette stared back at him a little warily. "Of course I'll be here, if that's what you want," Yami said softly. _I have a feeling I'm going to be saying things like this for a long time._ But he couldn't deny that it felt good to be wanted.

_Of course that's what I want; why else would I ask? But I guess I'll know for sure tomorrow. _"Hn. Well, good night then." He slid his head forward on the pillow and gave Yami a quick kiss on the lips, then tapped the remote for the lights, switching them off.

"Good night, Kaiba."

"Seto." Yami turned and arched one brow slightly in the darkness. "If you're sleeping in my bed and kissing me, shouldn't you be calling me Seto instead of Kaiba?"

Yami felt a slight smile tugging at his mouth. "I guess you're right. Good night, Seto."

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Since the last chapter was more Yami-centric (I think I only expressed Seto's thoughts once) I tried to get more of Seto's thoughts into this chapter.  
- I don't know why, but occasionally I like to use my own clothing as inspiration for Yami's outfits. So for this chapter, I raided my closet for Yami's shirt and pants.  
- Yes, I've already planned on a one-shot direct sequel for this story. You may all thank me now – just kidding! It will be called "Mint Car" and I'll start work on it once this story is complete. Just to give y'all a little teaser as to the subject matter, Seto's going to give Yami driving lessons, but that's not all that's getting driven!


	5. Ch 4: True Colors

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. "Midnight Blue" is performed and recorded by Lou Gramm. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

Responses to questions posed by reviewers thus far:  
- Re: Seto x Yami or Yami x Seto (Ephemeral Paradise) - This story isn't either one. It's Seto + Yami (shonen-ai) so there is no seme/uke dynamic at this point, especially considering they're both fumbling around in the intial stages. But later on, I include both SKxYY and YYxSK scenes in my AU. As far as the relationship goes, I personally consider it to be Yami x Seto since Yami is the one in control of most of the situations while Seto has the illusion of control.  
- Re: The price of Seto's car (Ephemeral Paradise) - I've looked very carefully at a screen capture of the check (go to ratandfox . net - take out spaces) and it is definitely a dollar sign, not a yen sign on the check. 500,000 yen is less than $5,000 US at current rates. Also the Doma arc takes place in America so being the astute guy that he is and considering he does business in America, I can't imagine Seto mistakenly writing out a check for the wrong currency.  
- Re: Poker (Wintersslayer) - Not really important, but I did think about it when I wrote the scene. I made the assumption that Yami either played before or knew how to play, since he is the King of Games. And I just figured that Noa and Mokuba would know at least the hands and basic rules of hold 'em since it's being aired on TV all the time. Yeah, I could've had them playing Go Fish or something, but it didn't seem appropriate considering that none of these three are really "kids" in my book.

* * *

**Shades of You and Me**

**Ch. 4: True Colors**

* * *

"Mmm, Seto, don't go yet." Yami flung his arm and leg over Seto's body as the brunette attempted to get out of bed.

"Yami, get off. Don't be stupid. Fuck, I'm not going to be late for work again… I was five minutes late yesterday thanks to you," he hissed. _God, I hate mornings. Stupid, shitty, good-for-nothing mornings… _

"You're the CEO. Who cares?" The shorter teen blearily opened one eye and tried to kiss Seto, but missed his lips and ended up landing a wet smooch on his chin instead.

Seto wiped his jaw off and scowled. "I need to set an example for those who work beneath me, or else I can't fire the shitheads who are chronically tardy."

Yami yawned into his shoulder. "You can find 'nother excuse to fire 'em…. always such a sourpuss in the morning."

"Always? Yes, because after sleeping in my bed for less than a week you've got me all figured out. Go back to sleep, dummy. I'm going to go drown myself in the almighty substance known as coffee." The CEO pushed Yami back just enough to shift his weight off of him, then got out of bed. _Never thought of Yami as the clingy boyfriend type. Fuck… I did not just think that! He's not my boyfriend. He's just the guy I'm sleeping with… no, I mean, next to!_

"Hmm, yeah. That's nice." The shorter teen rolled over onto the left side of the bed and curled up in the still-warm Seto-shaped hollow, falling asleep again almost instantly.

Seto couldn't help but smile faintly at the sight.

* * *

As always, by the time Yami awoke Seto was gone. So the ex-spirit shuffled downstairs and went through his daily routine. As he munched his way through a bowl of cereal, he thought, _It's weird thinking of this as routine. I've been staying here since Tuesday night and it's now Friday, and I'm already thinking this is how my mornings are going to be for the rest of my life? _He shook his head a little. _I'm getting ahead of myself. Seto hasn't asked me to move in with him. And I haven't told Yugi I'm moving out. Am I moving out? Am I supposed to be moving in?_

Yami looked around the kitchen. The counters now sported all sorts of new wares like a food processor, a humongous block of kitchen knives, a rice cooker, and much more, courtesy of a hellishly long shopping excursion the day before. _Okay, so it looks like I've already started moving in. Now how do I tell Yugi I want to move out?_ As much as he wanted to be with Seto, he couldn't simply abandon his aibou. They had been through so much together, had shared a body, had faced so many perils… and even after they had become two separate entities, Yugi and his Jii-chan had housed him, fed him, employed him… they were a family, basically. His family.

But then there was the little fact that he had been in love with Seto's previous incarnation... a 3,000 year love affair was nothing to scoff at. And whether or not Seto wanted to believe in fate or destiny, Yami believed in it, though he had already accepted that his boyfriend and his high priest were not the exact same person, just as he was no longer the Pharaoh of Egypt.

_Even if it's too soon to call it love, if nothing else I'm absolutely and positively enthralled by Seto. Uh huh… that's just the long way of saying it. Great, now I'm the King of Denial as well… heheh, DeNile. Ugh, that really is an awful joke! …Why is love is so complicated? _Yami sighed and threw his spoon into the sink, then realized he hadn't contacted Yugi at all during the previous day.

_Aibou!_ he shouted over his mind link.

_Ow, don't yell so loud! _

_Oops, sorry. Good morning._

_And good morning to you too, Yami._

_I'm sorry I forgot to contact you yesterday._

_Yami, Yami, Yami… you're not obligated to contact me everyday! I don't mind. I know you're "busy."_

_Actually… I'm bored and it's not even… _he craned his head to look at the clock. _It's not even noon yet. I went and spent a ridiculous amount of Seto's money on kitchen stuff yesterday so that's why I didn't come by and I think I bored Noa and Mokuba because they've taken off. Either that or they're very good at hiding. And I want to talk to you about something, but I need to do it face-to-face, _he rambled.

_Oh, so it's "Seto" now, is it…? Yami, I'm so happy for you! I'm glad you finally had sex with him!_

Yami made a face. _What is it with you and sex?_

Yugi practically giggled at him. _Or maybe not. You're still bitchy. _

_I AM NOT… nevermind! So are you available this afternoon, or actually… this evening would be better. Seto can drive me over on the way to dinner. I'm tired of being chauffeured around in a limo. I'm sure the security staff here have better things to do._

_Er… It's Friday, Yami. I know you've been sorta gone for half a week now, but don't you remember what Friday is?_

_Uh… shit! Dinner and coffee with Yugi-tachi. Damn it, I totally forgot! Aibou, I can't go tonight. Seto and I already have reservations for this new…_

_It's okay. I didn't think you'd be coming with anyways. And I doubt anyone will mind; Jou's been talking to everyone trying to figure out who your mystery girlfriend is._

_My… what? Aibou… _he couldn't help but let a rumble of disapproval slip through.

_I SWEAR I didn't say a thing! He thinks you have a girlfriend. How funny would it be if he found out you're with Kaiba?_

_You better not tell a soul!_

_Yami, I promised you I wouldn't. You know me better than that. _

_Ah… sorry. _Now Yami felt bad for jumping to conclusions. _If you woke up next to Seto, you'd probably be cranky too. He's so short-tempered in the morning, _he added lamely.

_Uh… I hate to have to point this out to you, but he's always short-tempered. And if I woke up next to him? I'd just scream, very loudly, because I'd have no idea how I got into his bed in the first place. _Yugi chuckled a little. _But if you still want to come over tonight, just try to get here before 7:00 so the others don't see you sneaking around, okay?_

_I'll try. Thanks, Yugi. You're the best._

Yami could feel Yugi's smug smile through the link. _I know. I'll see you later, then._

* * *

With nothing better to do, the former Pharaoh spent his afternoon exploring the mansion. Along with the rooms he had already wandered through, there was a gym and a library, a downstairs office, and several sparsely furnished guest rooms. The gym looked like it was rarely used, and the guest rooms looked like they had never been used at all. _Well, maybe I can change that, _he thought to himself. _If I am going to be living here maybe I can have Yugi and some of our friends over. What's the point in having all these rooms if they aren't being used? _

Once he finished snooping around indoors, he headed out to the backyard, where a beautifully manicured patio area surrounded a large pool. _Well, if I had thought to pack some swim trunks, I could have gone swimming. Looks like this would be perfect for a party though. _Bypassing the patio, he walked out and around the perimeter of the yard, then headed to the two five-car garages which flanked the house. _By all the gods of Egypt, how many cars does he need to have?_ One garage housed two limousines, a sedan, and two motorcycles, and the other had a lone blue sportscar in it. _Ra... I am so bored..._

By the time Seto came home in his brand new silver Ferrari, Yami had already given himself a full tour of the house and grounds twice, and had talked to all the household staff he could locate, which included the housekeeper and two security guards. The crimson-eyed teen rushed out the front door to greet his boyfriend as soon as he spotted the car rolling down the driveway. "Hi! Wow, is this the new car you were talking about?"

The corners of Seto's mouth turned upwards. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's really beautiful. It looks expensive. And I don't even know anything about cars. So… uh, did you have a good day at work?"

The brunette smirked and picked up his briefcase. "A better day than usual. The new car got delivered to KaibaCorp this morning. I didn't have to fire anyone. And Mokuba and Noa showed up at my office for lunch."

"Ahh… I was wondering where they disappeared to. They didn't leave a note."

"Hn. Next time you lose track of them, make sure you call me. I would be… less than pleased if you managed to lose my brothers somewhere." _Meaning that if you EVER lose track of my brothers again, I'll fucking kill you so fast you won't even know that you're dead… again. Again? Hmm._

"Less than pleased?" _I guess he'll kill me if I ever lose track of them again. _Yami snorted and followed Seto up the stairs. "That's the understatement of the year. So where are they now?"

"KaibaLand. And they'll be there until it closes." He peeled off his coat and hung it up. "So we're still going to that new seafood restaurant, right?"

"Yes, but if it's all right, I need to stop by Yugi's to pick up a change of clothes, and to talk to him." Seto and Yami began heading up to the bedroom.

"Don't you usually do that during the day?"

"I'm tired of riding around in a limo. Will you teach me to drive?"

_Yami driving? Hah… now that ought to be amusing. _"Hmm… I'll consider it. Not that you even have a car. Anyways... this time, try packing more than just one outfit, okay? I don't want to chauffeur you around either."

Yami chuckled. "All right. Oh, and speaking of outfits… I took the liberty of picking out something for you to wear tonight." The ex-spirit rushed into the closet ahead of Seto and pulled out a shirt, jacket, and a pair of jeans. "Here. I bought them yesterday." _You better like them. I blew a chunk of my savings on these._

The billionaire picked up the shirt and frowned slightly at it. It was short-sleeved and white, with black, red, and silver Chinese dragons printed all over it. "You got me clothes." _God, does he THINK he's my boyfriend or something?_

_Why is he frowning? The damn shirt has dragons all over it. _"You always look so formal. And this is a semi-casual restaurant. Come on, live a little."

Seto shrugged and began stripping. _Fine, I'll wear it, but this doesn't mean anything._

Yami tried unsuccessfully to hide his appreciation for the brunette's body as Seto undressed all the way down to his underwear before pulling on the new slim cut black jeans, shirt, and leather jacket. "Well?"

"Looks good." _Must resist urge to plaster myself again him. Oh, the hell with it. _Yami stepped forward and pulled Seto's head down for a kiss."We have to go as soon as possible; Yugi-tachi get together for dinner and coffee every Friday night, and they meet at the game shop."

"Whatever." Seto tugged him back for another kiss. "I'm guess I'm ready if you are."

Yami just beamed at his boyfriend and took his hand. "Let's go."

* * *

_Aibou, I'm running late. Is everyone there already?_

_Uh, hold on a sec… _The link faded for almost a minute. _Okay, I'm hiding in the bathroom right now. And everyone's here except for Otogi. Well, not surprisingly, you're the topic of tonight's conversation, Yami. Everyone wants to know where you are and Jou's giving them all the wrong idea._

_Gee… great. We're almost there. I'm going to sneak in through the shop. Can you meet me up in your bedroom?_

_I see… no longer "our" bedroom, hmm? Yeah, I'll head up in a minute._

_Uh… yeah, I'll see you in a little bit then. _"Seto, can you park in front of the shop?"

"Why, so the entire dork squad can stare at me?"

Yami rolled his eyes. "They're inside the house. If you park in front, they won't see you, okay? Besides, I'm going to sneak in through the shop entrance."

Despite his complaints, Seto rolled his car to a stop in front of the Kame Game Shop, and Yami quietly unlocked the shop door and took the back stairway to the room he used to share with Yugi. The violet-eyed teen was already inside waiting for him.

"Aibou!" He smiled and rushed forward for a hug.

"Yami. I missed you too. You look good! Kaiba must be feeding you well."

"More like I'm feeding him," Yami said dismissively. "I need to grab some clothes, but more importantly, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Yugi just gave his other half an encouraging smile. "Go ahead."

"I, uh… mmm… well, things have been… progressing rapidly with Seto, and… err…"

"Let me guess. You want to move in with Kaiba but you aren't sure how I'd feel about it, right?"

The crimson-eyed teen scrunched his nose up. "Damn it. Yes, basically."

Yugi laughed, his face lighting up. "When I set you up with him, I could only hope that things would work out. This is much, much better than I expected. If you want to move in with him, of course I'm okay with it."

"It almost sounds like you're kicking me out," said Yami with a mock pout.

"Oh, Yami. Nothing will change the fact that you're my other half, and you'll always be welcome here no matter what. We're family, right?"

That put a big smile on Yami's face. "Yes, yes we are."

"So was that it?"

Yami gave a sigh of relief. "Yeah, and I'm glad that's over with. I wouldn't abandon you, Aibou. We've been through so much together."

"I know. Oh, and by the way, I already talked to Mokuba and Noa about it and they're cool with it too. Just in case Kaiba asks," Yugi pointed out. "So… can I help you pack up a few things?"

"Sure. I can't take everything today, but I need at least enough clothing to last me a few days." Yami opened the closet doors and grabbed a duffel bag from the top shelf, then began to critically eye the various articles of clothing he had hanging up. "Guess I'll take these, and this one… and this shirt will match those pants…"

Meanwhile, Yugi walked over to his desk and began going through his own things. "Um, Yami, I guess… you should take these." He had pulled out several Duel Monsters cards and now held them out to his other half. "Oh, and the Puzzle too."

Yami looked over, eyes widening, and shook his head. "I can't accept those, Yugi. The Sennen Puzzle is yours now since you solved it. And the cards too."

"Don't be silly. Only you can truly wield the Egyptian God cards, and the Dark Magician is your soul card."

Yami very reluctantly accepted the three God cards, but shook his head at the rest. "The Dark Magician is _our_ soul card, and I want you to keep it. For me."

Yugi was about to argue back, but the look on Yami's face made him change his mind. "All right. And I promise I'll take good care of it. Oh! But you must take this one." He shuffled through his cards until he found the Devil's Sanctuary. "This truly belongs to you."

"Oh… thank you, Aibou." The former Pharaoh reverently took the card and slid it into his belt pouch.

"So does this mean you're going to quit working at the shop?"

"I'm… not sure. I can't just hang around the mansion doing nothing all day, but things are… things are still up in the air right now. Are you and Jou all right with covering my shifts for now?"

"Sure we are! Jou wants to get his own place and buy a car, so he's more than happy to get some extra hours in." The violet-eyed teen began wandering over to the dresser.

"I see…"

"By the way, I got you something else. Don't ever say I don't think about you." He picked up something from a drawer and dropped it in Yami's duffel.

"Um, what was that?"

Yugi grinned evilly. "Lube, of course."

* * *

Shizuka went to get the door when the doorbell rang. "Hi Otogi! I didn't think you were going to make it."

Otogi winked at her and walked in. "Just got back from the airport, actually. But I wouldn't miss Friday night for anything. Hey, sorry I'm late guys – just got back from a business trip."

A chorus of greetings followed.

The green-eyed game inventor smiled and waved back. "So did you guys check out Kaiba's new ride? That sucker is sweet!"

"When would we ever see Kaiba?" asked Honda.

Otogi blinked. "Oh, well, he's parked in front of the game shop right now. Didn't you guys see him?"

"Maybe he stopped by to challenge Yami to a duel or something, except Yami's not home," said Jou, then he broke into a huge grin. "Let's go… I wanna see this car! And maybe we can bug that bastard while we're at it!" He jumped to his feet and ran out the door.

"Wait! Uh… hey, Yugi! We're all going outside for a minute, okay?" Honda called up the stairs, then he and the rest of the gang followed Jou out the door.

* * *

Yugi threw open the bedroom door and frowned, then turned back to Yami. "Did you catch what Honda just said?"

"He said… oh CRAP!"

* * *

Seto was relaxed and sitting back in his seat, eyes closed and hands folded behind his head, when Jou's voice rudely cut through the night air. "So what're you doing here, Rich Boy?"

The young billionaire stiffened and scowled. "Last I checked, this was a public street and I can park here if I want, you stupid Mutt."

"Hmph. I just came to look at your car, asshole. What is this, a Ferrari?"

"Figures you wouldn't recognize one when you saw one. And don't even think of touching it, dork. This car's worth more than your entire future lifetime earnings." Jou jerked his hand back and glowered at the brunette.

"Ooh, nice. Is that a F430 Spyder?" asked Mai. Seto turned his head just enough to see the rest of Yugi-tachi approaching the vehicle. _Fucking fantastic… the entire geek patrol is here. So much for parking around in the front._ He glared at the lot of them, but noticed that Yugi and Yami were both missing.

"What are you doing here, Kaiba?" asked Anzu.

Seto ground his teeth. _What is this, 20 Questions? _But before he could respond, the Mutt barked out, "If you're here to challenge Yami to a duel, forget about it. He's not here. He's on a hot date or something with some mystery girl."

"Oh really? And what kind of girl would want to date a shrimp like him?" the brunette sneered.

"I don't know. What kind of girl would want to date a shrimp like me?" asked a deep voice, and everyone's heads turned to see Yami and Yugi approaching the vehicle.

"Yami, when did you get back?" Bakura asked softly.

The ex-spirit just smirked and walked up to the car, running his fingers lightly over the leather upholstery on the inside of the door. "Here to challenge me to a duel, Kaiba?"

Seto smirked in return and said, "That's right."

"Oh, I don't know. I do have a hot date tonight. The type that would date a shrimp like me." Yami slowly ran a free hand over his stomach, causing his purple top to ride up a little.

Seto stared at him for a moment, then snapped out of it, leaned over, and opened the door. "I'll take you wherever you want after I kick your ass, how about that?"

"That's presumptuous of you. What if I refuse?"

The brunette scowled. "Then you can just walk."

Yami pouted slightly. "Well, how do I know this duel won't take all night? I don't want to deprive my tall, stunning _girlfriend_ the privilege of my company."

The scowl deepened. "I'm sure _she _won't mind."

The crimson-eyed teen smiled slightly. "Oh, all right. Good thing I already packed an overnight bag." He hefted the duffel bag and tossed it at his boyfriend, who glared mildly at him before dumping it on the floor of the passenger's seat.

"Did you remember to pack underwear?" Seto asked, his voice slightly strained now, blue eyes boring into Yami's crimson ones. "I'm going to run out if you keep borrowing mine." There was a small, collective gasp from Yugi-tachi.

Yami stared at him, stunned. _Did he just say what I think he just said? Well, if he doesn't mind the others knowing… _"Yes, _Seto_," he responded, putting deliberate emphasis on the name.

"Extra underwear?"

"Yes, Seto."

"Hn. Get in."

"Can I drive?"

"Ha! Not on your life. Get in."

Yami's eyes narrowed momentarily. "Jerk." Everyone except Yugi gawked wordlessly at the duo as Yami got in the car and Seto helped buckle him in. "Is it okay if we pick up some more of my stuff in a few days?"

The CEO grunted in affirmation.

Yami grinned and pushed his bangs back. "The streets are pretty clear right now, aren't they? So you told me that this car can do zero to sixty in under four seconds… Do it."

Seto started up the car and grinned openly at the challenge, then after checking to make sure the coast was clear, he gunned the engine and the car tore away from the curb with a spectacular burst of speed.

Yugi-tachi watched as the silver sportscar rocketed away. "Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag," said Yugi with a gentle smile. _I don't recall ever seeing Kaiba grin like that. I guess things really are progressing nicely._

"More like the Pharaoh's out of the closet," Malik snickered.

Jou's mouth opened and closed like a fish. He finally managed to blurt out, "Holy SHIT! I _SO_ did not know Yami was gay. Or Kaiba. Especially Kaiba. Who'd have thought they were gay? They don't look gay. And they're gay with each other? I thought they hated each other! Shit!"

"God, Jou, shut up," said Anzu. She looked more than a little upset at the sudden revelation.

Yugi put a light, sympathetic hand on her elbow, then turned to his blonde friend, his violet eyes flashing. "Does it really matter, Jou? It doesn't change who Yami is."

"Geez, guess you're right, Yug. It just never occurred to me, that's all. Damn! But you really okay with it?"

"I'm more than okay with it. Mokuba, Noa and I were the ones who set them up," Yugi explained patiently. "Yami needed it." _And I think Kaiba did too._

"Well, you've got a lot of explaining to do over coffee tonight, Yugi," said Mai. But unlike Anzu, she was amused by the entire situation. "Speaking of which, we had better get going."

* * *

After they raced away from the shop, Yami finally had to ask Seto to slow down because he couldn't even hear himself think over the purring of the engine and the rushing of the wind over the open top of the car.

"Did you hear me? I said, 'You do realize what you just did back there, right?'" Yami yelled.

Seto slowed down marginally and shrugged a shoulder. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't do a thing."

"Riiiight. You told them I was wearing your boxers."

"That doesn't mean anything, Yami. Stop reading into things so much."

"Okay, whatever you say." Yami grinned brilliantly and the brunette scowled.

They both gave up on conversation until they finally hit a stoplight. Then Seto said, "You know… I don't have time to run back and forth just to fetch you clothes and whatnot. It's inconvenient."

"Oh? And how would we resolve that?" Yami took a deep breath and plunged ahead with the real question. "Are you suggesting that I move in with you?"

"I didn't say that; I was going to agree to your request for some driving lessons. But I suppose that would also be a possible solution."

_Definitely not a yes, but not quite a no. _"I'd be more than happy to move in with you, you know."

"Hn. Stop assuming so much."

_Maybe I'm pushing him too fast. Shit. _"So you don't want me to move in?"

"I didn't say that either. Damn it, will you knock that off? Besides, I don't know what Mokuba and Noa would…"

"Yugi has apparently already talked to them. He said that they were 'cool' with it."

"Hmph. He's worse than you… okay, look. You can bring _some_ of your shit over, like your clothes and bathroom stuff. I'll clear out some space in my closet, dresser and bathroom. But you're not moving in."

_I can't move in but I can bring some of my stuff over? What the heck? _"Can I bring over a few other things, like books or my dueling gear?" _That's pretty much all I have anyways._

"Yeah, I guess. But that's it."

_So basically I'm moving in but we're not calling it that. Uh huh… Yay! I'm moving in with Seto! _Yami mentally cheered."So you're really going to teach me to drive, hmm? In the Ferrari?"

"Oh hell no! I don't trust you with my cars. I'll just have to get you one of your own. Any preferences?"

Yami shrugged. "Nope, none at all."

"Then I'll pick something out for you." The taller duelist drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while he considered his options. "Okay, that's settled then. We'll go to the Porsche dealership this Sunday."

_What? _"A Porsche? Seto, you don't have to…"

"What, you think I'm going to make you drive some piece of shit Yugo or something? Please. Considering the way you've been drooling all over my Ferraris, I'd think you'd appreciate something with a few horses under the hood. Fuck, is that the restaurant?" He suddenly jerked the car over a lane and swung into the parking lot behind the restaurant. "Okay, we're here… damn, where should I park?"

Yami just stared at Seto and tried to think of something appropriate to say. "Um… thanks," he managed to mumble, though that didn't even begin to cover it.

"Hm? What for? Do you see any parking spots that aren't compact? Only SUVs park in compact."

"Uh…"

"Wait… I see someone backing up. Perfect, an end spot." Seto put on his turn signal and looked over at the shorter teen. "So you were saying?"

"Err… I guess… I'm looking forward to Sunday." _By Nut's night sky, can he be any more perfect than he is right now? Please, someone stop me from just jumping him right here in the parking lot!_

"Yeah, me too." The young billionaire swung the car into the parking spot, then looked at Yami again. "Hn. You must be starving… you're starting to drool."

"Oh, yeah, starving." _Take me now…_

They locked gazes for a long moment, then Seto gave him a sexy, enigmatic smile. "Wait 'til Sunday, okay?"

"Uhhhh… do you _have_ to go to work tomorrow? We could do _it_ tomorrow instead."

"You want to do_ it_ tomorrow instead?"

_My balls are going to explode! _"Yes!"

"You sure?" Now he was just teasing him.

"Absolutely… _please._" Yami hated begging, but if that made a difference, then he could beg all night.

"Hmm, well, all right. I guess I'll just go in on Sun… oomph!" Yami had unbuckled his seat belt and thrown himself into Seto's chest. "Fuck, Yami, not in public!"

"Sorry. Couldn't help myself," the shorter duelist said sheepishly, but he really wasn't repentant.

"Yeah, whatever." But after noticing that there was no one around, Seto reached over and pulled Yami in for a quick kiss. "Don't ever kiss me in public. Now… can we go? I'm starting to get hungry."

"Me too." Seto gave him a strange look. "No, really, I'm hungry. Seto…"

The brunette leaned in close and for a moment, Yami thought he was going to get another kiss. "Enough with the double-entendres…" he whispered into Yami's ear. "I get the point. I'm not that dense, you know. You'll get what you want… tomorrow."

_Oh! Is that my tail wagging? Wait, I don't have a tail… _But Yami couldn't help making a joke to lighten the mood. "You mean world peace?" he wondered aloud.

"If that's what you want," Seto said saucily, getting out of the car.

"No, wait, I was kidding!" Yami scrambled out of the car and chased his boyfriend down.

"I couldn't tell. Too bad for you."

"I've changed my mind!"

"Gee, so sorry, too late."

"Nooo… Seto!"

Seto just laughed and threw Yami a quick wink as they entered the restaurant together.

* * *

~ OWARI ~

Author's Notes:   
- Re: wording choices. I try to keep the overall plot in mind when I decide what names / titles I choose to apply to the characters. So it is no mistake that I now refer to Kaiba as "Seto" in my narrative, and that Yami considers Seto his boyfriend, although Seto thinks of Yami just as the guy he's sleeping next to (if anyone here is the King of Denial, it's Seto).  
- Okay, last chapter I put Yami in my clothes. This time I raided my husband's closet for Seto's shirt.  
- I know I usually use the US version of card names, but in the case of the Devil's Sanctuary (Fiend Sanctuary in US), I chose to use the Japanese name.  
- Apologies to any Yugo drivers out there. I couldn't think of a cheaper car off the top of my head.

Responses to questions posed by reviewers for this chapter: (posted after the fact)  
- Re: Yugo vs. El Camino and other driving stuff (Pysche) - OMG, you read my mind! I was going to have Seto make a comment about "a piece of sh!t El Camino" but I thought that would just be TOO plot convenient. As far as Yami's driving abilities... well... keep in mind who's teaching him. That should give you some idea of what kind of driver he'd be. BTW... I'm happy I converted you over to my fics LOL. Just knowing that you, Nenya and Shakster are reading my fics makes me feel good :)  
- Re: Poker (Wintersslayer) - Heheh... I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about it! :)  
- Re: Seto's boxers (Phoenix87) - I figure that Seto's unusually skinny, and since boxers and such work by waist size, he'd be a medium at most. And since boxers are elastic, there would be just enough snugness that I think Yami could get away with wearing them on his hipbones. Not that I think Yami would have cared if they'd simply fallen off :)


End file.
